Mural

When you drive into the Orinda Library garage, you will see the colorful mural adorning the side of the library. But it wasn’t always there. It represents the vision of ConnectOrinda, the design of Jane Kim of InkDwell, the tremendous fundraising effort of the Friends of the Orinda Library, and the financial commitment of the community.

ConnectOrinda was an initiative to make the Theater District and Orinda Village more connected and one suggestion was a public art project. The library wall, facing BART, was a perfect choice for a mural to express that vision. In 2022, Friends of the Orinda Library commissioned Jane Kim, of InkDwell to design and create a mural.

InkDwell is a studio dedicated to art that celebrates wildlife and the natural world. Jane Kim has created large-scale public art across the country including at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, and the National Aquarium. She is the creator of the Migrating Mural campaign, a series of public installations that highlight wildlife corridors that are shared with people. The Orinda mural brings to life our local wildlife, featuring a river otter, a bobcat, and other local flora. It also includes a map of our city.

In the spring of 2022, Kim and a small crew began to install the mural. The original small design was printed on very large paper, taped to the wall, and figures were cut out. The image was slowly transferred to the wall and then painted. It was a complex process that had to consider rain and heat. The large work of art was completed in six weeks and dedicated on July 4, 2022, with many donors, members of the Friends of the Orinda Library, and local dignitaries attending.

Friends of the Orinda Library spearheaded the fund-raising for the mural. Thanks to the generous donations of many community members, Friends of the Orinda Library was able to fully fund the mural now on view.