Cover story

Johanna Miller

PASSION PROJECT Carlos Campos talks about a piece by Pricilla Martinez that is part of the Art Hike Challenge, which will soon be expanding to other areas of the county.

JUMP INTO NATURE This artwork by Pricilla Martinez is one of many scattered around Pinto Lake County Park.

Johanna Miller

By JOHANNA MILLER

CREATIVITY

Art Hike Challenge encourages guests to visit county parks

Anew series of murals has been installed at Pinto Lake County Park, with the goal of encouraging more visitors to the park and showcasing local art.

The murals are part of the Art Hike Challenge, organized by County Parks Friends (CPF). Guests can download a map and locate each piece, take photographs with the art and then email CPF for a chance to win a prize.

Created by Watsonville artist Pricilla Martinez, the murals are scattered along the park’s hiking trails and wide-open spaces. They feature everything from a group of children playing jump rope to a family of ducks. One piece, depicting two hands held together in prayer, is located near the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The idea for the Art Hike Challenge came from Carlos Campos, mobilization leader with the CPF, who says he was looking for ways to safely engage the South County community with parks while bringing local art into the spotlight.

“A lot of us in Watsonville have tried to get more art in our city parks, but it hasn’t always been that easy,” Campos said. “So I thought, well, the next best thing is to have them at county parks.”

Campos had seen Martinez’s Día de los Muertos cutout murals that were installed in the plaza last year and was inspired.

“I saw those and was like, ‘How can we put those in more parks?’” he said. “They were only there for a short time… how could we install something like that and keep it for longer?”

After Campos reached out, Martinez got to work in creating the murals. They were officially installed in late March, with the help of CPF staff and other mobilization leaders.

In addition to highlighting the art, Campos hopes the challenge will bring more people to Pinto Lake County Park, which he called “a hidden gem.”

“A lot of people from the county, who maybe aren’t from Watsonville… might not know all of this is here,” he said.

The Art Hike Challenge is available to everyone, but is specifically used for the ParkRx program, in which doctors can prescribe free, outdoor activities directly to their patients.

“Especially for kids… it’s a reminder that there are things you