Dear Pearl,
I hope you are proud! After months of planning and painting I get to reveal this giant postcard dedicated to Murrieta. I wanted folks near and far to know they have arrived at the Murrieta Museum in Historic Downtown Murrieta. I can’t even begin to describe the honor it is to create a tribute to this community and the organization that shares the heart of our mission – the Murrieta Museum, run by the Murrieta Valley Historical Society. Pearl, you would love these wonderful people. And they love you. Well, they love the stories I share with them about you. These fine volunteers work to preserve not only relics, but the stories of our community and the generations who came before us.
I hope this mural helps encourage people to stop by the museum to learn about Murrieta. It’s right next door the the community center and across the street from Fire Station #1 on Juniper. Oh Pearl, why am I telling you this? Of course you probably already know, because I can feel you smiling down at me and shaking your head, but in the kindly sort of way.
Do stop by. It’s a beautiful day.
Your niece,
Aimee

Dear Pearl,
I know it might seem weird to have an art center named after you. But it’s more that that, you see. It’s about family, too. Pearl is a nonprofit organization where history and art come to life. And it’s inspired by the legacy of your life and the story of your family, passed down over four generations. So when I named it, I knew there were big shoes to fill. No, I know you had small feet. But it’s an expression. I knew that I had quite the high standards to live up to if I were to name anything in your honor, especially a lofty endeavor such as this.

So, here are my goals for this new creative arts center, named after you, dear aunt.
1) Inspire community members and local artists through interactive historical exhibits.
2) Foster creative expression among individuals and groups of artists by providing a space to come together to support each other and learn from one another.
3) Celebrate artist achievements, historical topics, and the community of local artists.

But how can people participate?
I want community members to bring their creative ideas to life with our help. I want to provide the tools needed to pursue artistic endeavors related to history, on any scale – from personal family history to locations past and present, to relics of the past either in photo form or as simple as a rolling pin or crochet needle. I want to be the space where people of all ages can explore their ideas and bring them to life. Eventually I’d like to have one-of-a-kind create-stations for everyone to work on their projects.

And yes, I will depend on volunteers.
In the spirit of teaching, and giving back, we will always be looking for resident artists to share their expertise to host a hands-on workshop or hang out during creative hours to help community artists troubleshoot their projects. I’ll tell them to just send us a message and availability or desired date of volunteering and take it from there.

Yes, Pearl, we are doing it. We are going to provide opportunities to develop the following artistic projects:
Visual Arts: Photography, Graphic Design, Mixed Mediums
Performing Arts: Video Production, Live Theater
Music: Recording Studio for Musicians and Producers
And more!