ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—A beautiful mural on a wall of Playa Bowls restaurant on Palisade Avenue in Englewood showcases some of the city’s finest teenage talent.
The mural art project was directed by Omar Lopez, founder of Englewood Art Walls, who has sponsored many up-and-coming Englewood artists. It began last year when Lopez met with Tim Banos from Playa Bowls Englewood to brainstorm ways to bring art into the city and engage the youth in the community.
They decided on a collaborative mural project inside of the Englewood store.
The goal was simple—to bring students from different schools together to work on a surf-n-chill inspired painting.
The art department of two schools answered the callout for artists—Dwight Morrow High School and Dwight Englewood High School.
After months of planning, designing and painting, the students created a beautiful acrylic mural that covers an entire wall of Playa Bowls. It has 15 panels, each of which depicts a different beach scene bursting with vibrant colors.
On Nov. 26, after the project was finished, the artists were given certificates by Lopez and they signed their name to the mural. Banos and owners Abby Taylor and Robert Guiliani were on hand to congratulate them for the gorgeous addition to their restaurant. They also donated 10% of the day’s sales to the art programs at the two schools.
Lopez said, “I’m so proud of these young artists and all of their hard work. They all came together to support one another and the project. With the help of their amazing teachers and our friends at Playa Bowls, they’ve created something special we can all be proud of.”
