A postcard to the city: New mural celebrates the spirit of Downtown Downey

Photos courtesy City of Downey

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the City of Downey held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new “Welcome to Downtown Downey” mural located on the side of the parking structure along New Street at Second Street. The enthusiastic audience included city staff, local politicians, representatives and artists from Stay Arts, friends and family of the muralists, arts advocates and members of the public.

The project is a strong example of collaboration between local government, a local arts nonprofit and local artists utilizing Arts in Public Places (AIPP) funds to create a significant landmark artwork that contributes to the community.

The mural was designed and created by self-taught muralist Rafael Reyes, a native of Downey and co-founder of Mastermind Murals.

Designed in the style of a classic California postcard, the mural immediately captures attention. It blends detailed realism with bold contemporary design and is characterized by vibrant colors, a dynamic composition and a mix of realism and graphic elements. It also incorporates local history and cultural symbolism.

The mural measures 40 by 40 feet, totaling about 1,400 square feet. By comparison, local artist Don Lamkin’s iconic Downey Doodle-icious mural (2015) on Downey Avenue measures about 500 square feet.

Reyes integrates several historic and civic icons into the letters of the vividly graphic word “DOWNEY.”

D: The Kaufmann Building/Vultee Aircraft Rotunda, a nod to Downey’s aviation roots.

O: The Rives Mansion, one of the city’s most significant historic homes.

W: The Downey city flag.

N: An Apollo spacecraft atop a Saturn V rocket, representing the city’s NASA legacy.

E: Casa de Parley Johnson.

Y: The Downey Grammar School arch.

The main imagery includes an Apollo space capsule atop a Saturn V rocket reflecting Downey’s aerospace legacy. On the right side, a vivid branch of orange trees references the groves that once filled the area. In the background is a faint street map of Downey.

Stay Arts produced the City of Downey’s logo and branding in 2014. The mural incorporates some of the same colors and fonts. To my eye, that consistency is the secret sauce.

Reyes’ technique included projecting a high-powered image of the rendering at full scale onto the primed wall at night, allowing the artist to outline the design. This is a common technique used in large murals to ensure accurate proportions when scaling small sketches to massive walls.

The core Mastermind Murals team behind the project included Rafael Reyes as lead artist and co-founder responsible for the conceptual design. His brother, Myron Reyes, is CEO and co-founder and manages business operations and project development. Myron also assisted in painting the mural. The level of artistry involved is exceptional.

City officials have discussed adding a mural to the parking structure since 2023 as part of a broader effort to enhance Downtown Downey through public art and beautification initiatives.

Mayor Claudia M. Frometa said she was impressed that Reyes was a local artist with large projects for San Diego State University, FOX, Universal Studios, the City of Huntington Beach and multiple law enforcement agencies.

She also noted that Reyes created the 40-by-60-foot “I Give You Flowers” mural in the courtyard of the Orchard Building at Downey’s Kaiser Permanente medical facility. That mural is part of Kaiser’s effort to incorporate art into a healing environment. Stay Arts served as consultant and project manager on that mural and three others at Kaiser.

“I think it is so beautiful. I think this mural pays homage to our beautiful city’s history,” Frometa said. “It is so fitting for our community, especially as we celebrate in 2026 that Downey is marking 70 years since the city was incorporated. This artwork stands as a gift to the next generation. It stands as a tribute to all of the people who have brought us to this point. It celebrates our city’s history. The story of Downey and the people who built it.”

“There was an RFP. We wanted to make sure we kept it local. The idea behind this began in 2023 and we wanted to make sure that someone who understood our community was given this opportunity. We chose Rafael Reyes. In November 2025 we voted unanimously. We absolutely loved the rendering and seeing it come alive in such a short period of time.”

In May 2024, the City of Downey distributed the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the downtown parking structure mural primarily through its PlanetBids portal. City staff also notified the Downtown Downey Improvement Association (DDIA) and the Downey Arts Coalition directly to help identify qualified artists and promoted the RFP on social media.

I reached out to visual artist and muralist Robert Vargas, who was one of my favorite students when I was School and Arts Administrator at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, to see if he was interested. Vargas creates his murals freehand without grids or projections. He has a worldwide reputation for his murals but remains firmly connected to community.

Both the City and County of Los Angeles have established a Robert Vargas Day, and the City of Los Angeles named Robert Vargas Square after him in Boyle Heights. His murals of Shohei Ohtani in Little Tokyo and Fernando Valenzuela in Boyle Heights face each other across the freeway.

I told Robert the mural was an attempt to build community through art. His response was simple: “If you’re trying to build community it’s important you find a local artist.” He was absolutely right, and that is exactly what Downey has done.

Downey nonprofit Stay Arts was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals process in June 2024.

Mayor Pro Tem Horacio Ortiz recalled that he and then-Mayor Hector Sosa served on the Downtown Downey Subcommittee that reviewed three mural concepts from Stay Arts and recommended that the City Council consider Reyes’ design. The other concepts submitted by Stay Arts were by local artists Sergio Robleto and Omar Martinez.

Sosa said the mural is even more impressive in person.

“We’ve seen the renditions, but in person it really blows you away. I think it’s a masterpiece. There are so many good things about our city and only so many things you can fit into that beautiful artwork. There was a lot of collaboration discussing the rendering, but at the end of the day the artist’s work is amazing to take it from paper and create that large-scale mural.”

Ortiz said the mural highlights Downey’s history.

“I love it. I think it really encompasses the historic landmarks of Downey. Unique pieces that really highlight our city’s history.”

Councilmember Dorothy Pemberton also praised the mural.

“I love it. I love the color. I love the way it pops. But the pictures are also telling a story. When you drive by quickly sometimes you don’t have time to read. You can just look at the pictures. They resonate in your mind, and you get it.”

When developing its proposal, Stay Arts conducted a community survey to learn what residents wanted to see in the mural. Community surveys can help artists identify the history, culture and spirit of a community. When residents feel their voices are heard in the design process, it can create a sense of ownership and pride in the final piece, reducing vandalism and encouraging care for the space.

Stay Arts ranked highest among four applicants that also included Man One, Casual Living Murals and the Downtown Downey Improvement Association.

The evaluation was based on organization and presentation of the proposal, experience and qualifications, mural concepts, adherence to the RFP requirements and the proposed budget.

Stay Arts Executive Director Gabe Enamorado recalled encountering artist Man One when both were submitting applications.

“Man One is a world-renowned graffiti artist and muralist. He used to run the first and only graffiti art gallery in Los Angeles, Crewest Gallery. My first experience with a gallery was there. I used to frequent it when I was at Warren High School. I would drive to Los Angeles and volunteer. That was a significant inspiration for the Stay Gallery. The day I was submitting our application he was there submitting his application. I hadn’t seen him in a decade. It was a full-circle moment.”

Enamorado explained that the project began as a sketch by Reyes, who created an early concept years earlier.

“I’ve known Rafael from the art world since 2008. When I came back to Stay in 2019 he walked in one day and said he had this drawing of the word Downey that he would love to turn into a mural someday. He showed me the first sketch he did in 2015. It already had the postcard style and images inside the letters, although some of the landmarks were different.”

Enamorado served as project manager, working with Assistant City Manager Vaniha de Rojas and Reyes for more than a year to refine the concept and ensure the mural aligned with the city’s vision and the Arts in Public Places program.

The project was estimated to take about 10 weeks to complete, including wall preparation, installation and protective coating. Stay Arts built extra time into the schedule in case of delays, but the mural was completed on time and within budget.

“When we started getting feedback from the City Council, I stepped in and redesigned the rendering,” Enamorado said. “I re-illustrated the word Downey with bright orange and sharp graphics and incorporated elements the council wanted, like the Casa de Parley Johnson and the Downey Grammar School arch.”

He added that the final design also included the background map, orange branches and the Apollo imagery.

“Rafael is an incredible painter. My skill is graphic design, and Rafael executed it.”

Asked about seeing the mural completed, Enamorado said he was thrilled.

“It’s incredible. It is an exact replica of the graphic. The way they painted the images inside the letters, particularly the Rives Mansion, is masterful. They used the highest-grade acrylic paint designed for outdoor exposure. We intentionally chose deep, vibrant colors because murals naturally fade over time. The precision they achieved is remarkable. I think it captures the essence of Downey.”

Downey’s Arts in Public Places program is a municipal initiative created by the City Council to enhance the community’s cultural and aesthetic environment.

Funds for the program come from developer fees rather than the city’s general fund. The approved contract amount paid to Stay Arts for the mural was $93,422.

Under the program, new development projects valued at $500,000 or more must either include an on-site art installation valued at 2 percent of the building’s valuation or contribute a 1 percent fee to the city’s Arts in Public Places fund.

Enamorado said Stay Arts has increasingly focused on ensuring artists are paid for their work.

“After not being paid for many years, our focus now is on paying artists,” he said.

Stay Arts also develops arts education programs and community art experiences that connect artists, students and families.

The organization partners with the Downey Educational Opportunities Foundation and Downey Unified School District to provide after-school arts programs. It also operates programs in the Norwalk-La Mirada and El Rancho school districts and has recruited more than 40 paid teaching artists. Stay Arts Programs Director Juliana Canty oversees the arts education program.

Enamorado said Stay Arts generated more than $1 million in revenue in 2025, helping move the organization toward financial sustainability.

“We work with organizations on commissioned murals, art installations and custom creative projects that enrich and transform public spaces,” he said. “As a bridge between artists and large-scale opportunities, we prioritize representation and fair compensation so artists are valued in the cultural landscape.”

Following the ribbon cutting, Mayor Frometa and the City Council presented Rafael and Myron Reyes with a proclamation from the city. Ari Ruiz, representing Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, presented a proclamation from the State Assembly, and Nandy Santana, representing Sen. Bob Archuleta, presented a proclamation from the State Senate.

Speakers included Enamorado and the Reyes brothers.

After the ceremony, Stay Arts hosted an informal gathering at Epic Live! around the corner on Second Street. A short video played on a loop showing the artists at work during various stages of the mural’s creation, including close-ups of the images inside the letters and wide shots of the finished piece.

Epic Live! is also where an 18-year-old Gabe Enamorado hosted his first art show in 2007.

A full-circle moment indeed.