A new mural is set to brighten the streets of downtown Centralia thanks to the Centralia Downtown Association (CDA).
On Thursday, June 20, Vancouver-based artist Christian Barrios will begin transforming the south side of El Amigo Tienda, located at 600 North Tower Ave., with a vibrant mural showcasing stylized birds, plants and animals.
“We're so excited to brighten up this area of downtown and connect more with our Hispanic community,” said MacKenzie McGee, executive director of the CDA. “In the survey we took at our first block party of the year, more art and more trees ranked highest among the things folks wanted to see us work on in 2024. Between that and our commitment to connecting the edges of downtown, in all directions, this was a great fit.”
The CDA is funding the project with support from Lincoln Creek Lumber and Lewis County Transit for supplies and equipment.
Rebecca Staebler, CDA board president and chair of the Economic Vitality Committee, first met Barrios during the Revitalize WA conference in Vancouver last fall when he was working on a mural in the Fourth Plain Boulevard area.
“He’s so passionate about art and what it can do to both re-energize a neighborhood and build community,” Staebler said. “We are thrilled that he was available to work with us on this project.”
The El Amigo Tienda mural should take about a week to complete. The public is welcome to view the artist in progress. More mural and public art projects are planned from the CDA over the coming months.
For more information on the CDA, visit https://downtowncentralia.org/.
