Artists, musicians, bike enthusiasts, community members, and river lovers all gathered in the parking lot of the CWC office on Saturday, August 24, to celebrate art and the San Lorenzo River at the first-ever River Jam! The family-friendly event featured art activities, an upcycled and sustainable art market, live music, a river habitat tour, and more. River Jam capped off a year-long residency for CWC’s Artists-in-Residence, The Jams, and celebrated the vibrant San Lorenzo River artwork they created with support from the Central Coast Creative Corps.
The day kicked off with a community bike ride from Beach Flats Park, with several e-bikes provided for free courtesy of B-Cycle. The Jams (artists Augie WK and Jessica Carmen) led a group of 20 riders on a tour of three of the murals they painted near the San Lorenzo River during their artist residency, including a hummingbird mural at the Beach Flats produce truck, the “Water is Life” mural on Third Street, and the “Catching Some Air” mural of skateboarding birds at Mike Fox Park. The riders finished at River Jam, where a free bike valet was provided by Bike Santa Cruz County.
River Jam also showcased a number of other local artists. Live music by Mothership Connection and Flaco El Jandro set a lively tone for the afternoon. A block-printing station by Their Colors offered a chance to print custom river-themed images on CWC bandanas using hand-carved stamps. Caricature artist Alejandro Grijalva created fun, free drawings of attendees. And an upcycled and sustainable art market curated by SoulBextion of the River Studios Shop & Gallery at The Tannery featured a variety of vendors showcasing colorful environmental art.
Participants also had a chance to learn about the San Lorenzo River watershed and how to study it through hands-on activities from CWC’s education team, and received a native plant tour of CWC’s habitat improvement site along the San Lorenzo River from our river ecologist. We were even visited by some distinguished guests, including Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Santa Cruz City Council Member Sonja Bruner, and Santa Cruz Arts Commissioner Nikki Patterson.
We capped off the day with a fun prize drawing, including generous donations from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz Warriors, BCycle, Artisans & agency, Verve Coffee, the Museum of Art and History, and more! River Jam was filled with positive energy, and as CWC Executive Director Laurie Egan shared during the event, “CWC sees our relationship with the San Lorenzo River as a reflection of who we want to be as a community. River Jam shows us what’s possible when we celebrate the river as a focal point of Santa Cruz.” View more photos of River Jam on CWC’s Facebook page!
