The City of Escondido is proud to be the recipient of a 2021 Helen Putnam Award in the category of: Economic Development through the Arts, for the “Beautify Escondido” mural project, which promoted local artwork to increase foot traffic to struggling businesses along Grand Avenue.
Representatives from the League of California Cities presented the award to the City Council during the October 28th Council meeting. When the COVID-19 pandemic changed how businesses needed to operate to stay open, Escondido adopted an Emergency Business Recovery Strategy, which included placing barriers along Grand Avenue to allow for expanded outdoor sidewalk and on-street dining and retail.
Once business operations were moved outside, the Escondido arts community came together to paint the blank barriers with art murals to draw additional attention to the struggling businesses. What started as a temporary fix to keep business doors open turned into a community movement that now brings visitors to see the art and support local businesses.
Established in 1982 by the League of California Cities, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence is given annually and recognizes outstanding achievements by California’s 482 cities. The purpose of the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program is to promote innovative solutions by city governments. The 2021 winners, recognized for their outstanding programs, were chosen from 125 submissions. Check out a video highlighting the program and award here: https://youtu.be/F9eb2dbq3YQ
