Altadena Community Mural Unveiling Set for Sunday Following Devastating Wildfire

A mural created by more than 100 Altadena residents will be unveiled Sunday, a community healing effort that brightly and beautifully adorns a wall at 409 E. Woodbury Road.

“Over 100 members of Altadena came together to design and paint a mural dedicated to the beauty of community and a vision for an Altadena past and future,” according to event organizers.

The free celebration, scheduled for March 16 from 2-4 p.m., will feature live music, small bites and interactive art projects.

Renowned muralist Benjamin Swatez of The Goodness Tour led the project, working alongside the Altadena Coalition and 409 Woodbury, a local event space that also suffered damage in the fire.

Swatez has exhibited in over 80 international art exhibitions across four continents and has directed creative therapy projects in diverse and challenging environments—from communities freed from debt bondage slavery to refugee camps, homeless shelters, and hospitals.

The Goodness Tour, an international nonprofit co-founded by Swatez and Luke Reynaud, specializes in bringing creative arts therapy to communities facing adversity. The organization comprises musicians, artists, filmmakers and therapists who travel to disaster areas worldwide, with recent projects in areas affected by Hurricane Helene and in Poland/Ukraine.

“We’ve seen firsthand the healing power of art, and we wanted to bring that same spirit of resilience here to Altadena,” Reynaud said.

The timing of the project—coming just two months after the devastating fire—underscores the urgency with which community leaders are working to rebuild not just physical structures but also the social and emotional foundations of community life.

The Altadena Coalition emerged directly from the community’s response to the January disaster. Formally established just weeks before the mural unveiling through a virtual community meeting called by Altadena Strong and other local organizations, the coalition aims “to form community teams, establish the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to collective purchasing, negotiations, development, and revitalization, and ensure that Altadena’s future is built by its residents.”

The coalition brings together diverse stakeholders including Altadena Strong, Altadena: Not For Sale, My Tribe Rise, and representatives from local Native American tribes. Their involvement is particularly important given concerns about displacement of residents, especially from historically Black communities in Altadena that were disproportionately impacted by the fire.

Samera Arkel, owner of 409 Woodbury, readily agreed to host the mural and has deep ties to Altadena. Her family has lived in the community for over 65 years, and like many residents, they suffered significant losses in the fire. Her parents’ home was reduced to ashes, while her siblings’ homes and her own sustained damage.

Arkel built her 409 Woodbury business from the ground up after losing her clothing stores during the pandemic, demonstrating a pattern of resilience and adaptation. The venue specializes in hosting events and creative workshops that foster connection, discovery, and socialization within the community.

The mural features natural imagery including colorful birds and flowers, representing the area’s biodiversity and standing in poignant contrast to the destruction caused by the fire, suggesting regrowth and rebirth for the community.

Additional partners in the project include Artmingo Events, World Central Kitchen, Simply Divine, Lezco Interface Communications, Ace Hardware La Crescenta, Beautification Solutions and Vista Paint Partners.