Youth artists will spend their summer painting a piece of Southwest Valley history on the walls of Litchfield Park’s upcoming public library under a design plan advanced by city officials this week.
The Litchfield Park Arts and Heritage Commission voted unanimously to recommend a $2,500 mural project designed by Catitude Arts, a local non-profit organization. The artwork will be installed inside the new 10,000-square-foot, $5 million library currently under construction at the historic La Loma hilltop.
Because neither the commission nor the City Council meets regularly in July, the vote empowers city staff to work directly with the artists to finalize the design ahead of a tight summer production schedule. The youth-led painting phase is scheduled to take place in July to ensure completion before the facility's scheduled opening.
The mural is being produced through Catitude’s Mural Mentorship program, which has paired teenagers and young adults with professional artists on large-scale public projects since 2017.
Commissioners praised the project but requested several historical and geographic adjustments to the initial design concepts before painting begins.
Among the changes, officials requested replacing a drawing of the historic La Loma homestead with a depiction of the old St. Peter's mission church. Because the actual homestead sits just outside the new library's windows, commissioners said that depicting it on an interior wall was redundant.
They also requested that the background scenery feature the distinct gray ridges of the local mountain ranges rather than sand dunes.
The final design will include a segment featuring city founder Paul W. Litchfield and will feature local historical staples including citrus, palm trees and the hilltop's famous local peacocks.
The new library sits on a 20-acre historic site gifted to the city in 2008 by Edith and Wally Denny, descendants of the Litchfield family, with the stipulation that the land be used for cultural and educational purposes. The facility replaces a 1979 branch on Wigwam Boulevard and will serve as the anchor for a broader cultural campus that includes the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center and the Hilltop School for the Arts.
City staff will oversee the final design adjustments before the mentorship program begins painting the wall.
Meet James James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.
Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.
Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English.
Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.
Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.
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