Art With A Purpose: Artists Transform Youth Club Wall

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The blank wall facing Martinez City Hall is now a public statement about healing, belonging, and the power of art to reach young people who often struggle to be heard.

Local leaders, artists, and youth advocates unveiled a new energy-inspired mural at the Boys & Girls Club in Martinez.

Behind the bright colors and sweeping designs is a deeper story about community and one East Bay woman’s effort to reshape how children heal and grow.

Leading the project is Julee Winterbourne, development and community engagement director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Contra Costa County.

Before moving into nonprofit leadership, Winterbourne helped shape Walnut Creek’s downtown arts and nightlife scene through her wine-and-paint business, Canvas and Caberneigh. Today, her focus has shifted toward helping young people use creativity as a pathway through trauma, stress, and isolation. “Sometimes art says what a child cannot,” Winterbourne said.

That philosophy guided some of her earlier work with teens transitioning out of the juvenile justice system. During guided painting sessions set to music, participants who struggled to speak openly about emotions began expressing themselves through color, movement, and imagery. In one case, a teen who had barely spoken for weeks eventually opened up through the process, according to Winterbourne.

Now, she is working to expand enrichment programs across Contra Costa County, particularly in communities where access to arts and mentorship programs remains limited.

“Creativity helps restore a sense of agency,” she said in a statement. “A child may not be able to control what’s happening around them, but they can make something. They can express something.”

The new mural reflects that message.

The project was created with Martinez-based artist collective Illuminaries, whose large-scale street murals have become known for bold colors and uplifting imagery aimed at young audiences. Artist Tim Hon said the work carries personal meaning because of the group’s ties to the city.

“Being from Martinez, it means so much to help shape the public appearance of our town and create a welcoming, fun environment for our kids,” Hon said in a statement.

Organizers say the mural is designed to symbolize the connection between clean energy, public investment, and community well-being. Positioned on the exterior wall of the Boys & Girls Club facing City Hall, the piece is also intended to serve as a daily reminder of the club’s role as a safe space for local youth.

The project is the result of a collaboration between Marin Clean Energy, the City of Martinez, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Contra Costa and Silicon Valley.

The organization currently offers programs involving visual arts, storytelling, media projects, and other creative pursuits intended to build confidence and emotional connection among children and teens.

Winterbourne argues those programs are not optional extras.

“We often think of art as enrichment, but for many kids it’s actually regulation,” she said. “It helps them slow down, process emotion, reconnect to themselves, and experience moments of safety and confidence.”

Support for the programs comes through grants, sponsorships, corporate partnerships, fundraising events, and private donors. Club leaders say community funding helps provide staffing, supplies, mentorship opportunities, and safe after-school spaces for youth throughout Contra Costa County and Silicon Valley.

More information about the organizations and donation opportunities is available through Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley and Boys & Girls Clubs of Contra Costa County.