What comes to mind when you are asked, "What do you think of when you think of an image that represents your experience in Kern County?”

Some of the most common responses are the Road Runner, the Kit Fox, Red Rock Canyon, and the Kern River. When it comes to iconic images many name - the pump jacks, the Bakersfield yellow arch, the sign of the historic Fox Theater.

Has anyone asked you, "What comes to mind when you think of public murals in Kern County?"  Kern County is abundant in the beautiful artfulness of the natural world, our enterprise and diverse heritage, and the murals crafted over years to reinforce Kern’s sense of place and home.

Shafter is home to murals of note…have you seen them?  The Shafter Library and Learning Center mural, fashioned after the classic “wish-you-were-here” postcard style; painted by artist Chuck Caplinger in 2013 to celebrate the town's 100th anniversary the historic documentation is featured on a brick wall at the corner of Central and Highway 43.

In Taft you will find  “A Breath of Fresh Air” on a wall of the Grocery Outlet, completed by an artist known as BubbleBeeLovesYou (David Esfahanian) in 2021.

The Larry Itliong mural, in Delano at Morningside Elementary. There are many stories about Larry’s life. He positively impacted the lives of agricultural workers and was instrumental in the founding of United Farm Workers. He immigrated from the Philippines when he was a teen and in his elder years he called Delano home.

There are many educational and historical murals in Tehachapi. Please plan a visit! There is a guide to much of their public artMost recently the “People of the Nuwä” originally painted in 2004 by Colleen Mitchell, was restored by the team of Jeanette Pauer and Lyn Bennett. Among evocative images are the basketry of the Kawaiisu peoples, the first known dwellers of the Tehachapi Mountains.

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WHERE TO SEE THIS: Underpass of Q Street and Highway 178

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Find more of KCFM's Mural Stories Series below:

• Mural Stories: A Slice of Bakersfield History
• Mural Stories: Dream Center Youth Mural
• Mural Stories: Nine Parks, One Mural
• Mural Stories: EASTCHESTER: One Word, An Artful Direction
• Mural Stories: The Roots of the Basque Mural
• Mural Stories: Color Arrived Before Most People Noticed
• Mural Stories: One Love in an Unexpected Place - A Mural That Gets Respect
• Mural Stories: When the Mind Blooms
• Mural Stories: Murals Are How a Community Remembers Out Loud
• Mural Stories: BLOOM: What We Plant in a Neighborhood Continues to Grow

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