If you need an excuse for a walk in this fabulous weather saunter over to the little pocket park at Solano Ave. and Peralta St. at 1561 Solano Ave. in Berkeley. On Saturday, May 28 at 4p.m. the Solano Avenue Association will host the opening celebration of the project. Anyone who made one of the tiles or who was involved in the project, as well as the public in general, is invited to attend.
The Solano Stroll Commemorative Tile Project reached completion on the surfaces at Peralta Park in April. The project had been in the works since 1999 when it was conceived by Lisa Bullwinkel, Executive Director of the Solano Avenue Association, and funded by a Berkeley Parks Mini-Grant with additional funding from the Solano Avenue Association.
During the 25th and 26th annual Solano Avenue Strolls, Jessica Abbott Williams of Brushstrokes Studio in Berkeley helped almost 300 members of the community hand-paint tiles. The artistic theme was the commemoration of the Stroll or a favorite pet. After the tiles were fired, they were presented to the Berkeley Arts Commission and the Parks Commission for approval along with drawings donated by Architectural Concepts of Albany.
After all of the required permits were issued and blank field tile and other supplies donated by the Tileshop in Berkeley, Tim Volz of Precision Tile installed the tiles on the gray concrete surfaces of the park. He had the help of several volunteers -- Jerry Rabin, Dan & Pam Dixon, Riley Doty, George Harter, Raphael Lopez, Jay Bunker & Catherine Durand. They were graciously fueled with lunches provided by Gordo Taqueria, King Tsin Restaurant, Subway Sandwiches, and Zand Middle Eastern Specialties. In addition, the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District had the planters in the park spruced up which, along with the colorful tiles, are now brightly decorating a once dreary park.
And it only took seven years!