Tunnel Design Project Seeks Volunteers

Tunnel rendering by Raylene Gorum  |  post by Felicity Kirsch

Sausalito and Marin City are coming together this spring to brighten and enliven the pedestrian walkway under the Highway 101 tunnel that school children and other walkers and cyclists use every day. Raylene Gorum, an artist who lives in Sausalito, has designed a painting with rainbow colors that will stretch from one tunnel entrance to the other and be sprinkled with handprints she draws to represent “All Our Children United.” The tunnel work will begin when CalTrans and Marin County have signed off on the final plans.

The project’s steering committee includes Felecia Gaston (Performing Stars), Dr. Shirley Thornton (Arts + Bayside MLK), Carolyn Revelle (Sausalito Beautiful), Sonja Hanson (Sausalito Foundation) and Susan Shea (literacy volunteer).

Right now, the steering committee is looking for volunteers to help the communities’ children create their own replica of the tunnel art before the real one is installed. Public-school art teachers will help students trace their handprints onto squares of heavy paper. Parents, grandparents, and community members are needed for the following tasks:

  • To cut out the handprints to create stencils between May 1–18
  • At a celebration on June 4 (1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) in the park just west of the tunnel, helping local children use the stencils to paint their handprints on banner-sized canvas or butcher paper. Replicating the tunnel design, the banners will be used to promote the tunnel art project in visible sites throughout our community. Volunteers are also needed to help with set up, food service, and clean up and to join steering committee members at the information table.

If you’d like to join the fun, reply to Felicity Kirsch. Please include your name, preferred e-mail address, phone number, desired volunteer activity and your time availability.