Save Our Salmon Mural Initiative
Photo courtesy of Chris Neir
📍 Greater Seattle, WA
“Public Art With a Purpose”
The Save Our Salmon (SOS) Mural Initiative educates, engages, inspires, and empowers communities to restore Puget Sound salmon-spawning streams - through art. With SOS, we:
brighten up communities with vibrant art
engage community in Community Paint Days
bring awareness and action restoring PNW streams
Our 3 Murals
We currently have two (3!) Save Our Salmon Murals:
Kirkland (Juanita Creek), Lake Forest Park (McAleer Creek), and Magnuson Park Seattle (USGS Western Fisheries Center). Click to learn more about each mural.
How the first SOS Mural Started…
Why murals? Why salmon?
When I was in 11th grade, I learned Juanita Creek – the salmon-spawning stream less than one minute from my backyard in Kirkland, WA – had only 3 salmon return to spawn in 2021.
Every day I’d pass Juanita Creek on my drive to school - yet prior to 11th grade, I never paid much attention to the hidden stream. Many of Lake Washington’s urban creeks are completely hidden under culverts, flowing below paved roads. Despite being right below our eyes, Juanita Creek had become “out of sight, and out of mind”.
On my daily commute to Juanita High School, I would pass a 112-foot blank boring wall across from Juanita Creek. As an artist, I realized I could combine these two problems – hidden streams, and blank dull walls. My simple idea grew into a big idea: using my love of art to educate, excite, and engage my community in restoring Juanita Creek. My first “Save Our Salmon (SOS) Mural” was born.
These once “hidden” streams are now focal points, with 430+ feet of SOS Murals painted along three streams, and counting!
Austin Picinich, artist - (Photo by Kuria Jorissen)
Can ART really save salmon? YES - here’s why:
46
community groups involved
720 +
volunteer painters involved
$23,541 +
raised for stream awareness, education, and restoration
The Cause: Supporting Local Salmon
I’m partnering with the University of Washington’s North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers program to bring this SOS initiative to life. SalmonWatchers is working to research, restore, and raise awareness for stream health and salmon populations. The SalmonWatchers program - founded and led by UW Bothell biology professor Dr. Jeff Jensen - works with students and community volunteers to research and restore local streams. Projects include building egg incubators and natural resources for salmon to thrive.
In the News
KOMO 4 News
2:19 min
Interview on KOMO 4 News aired in September 2022.
FOX 13 Good Day Seattle
4:06 min
Live in-studio interview on Channel 13 Good Day Seattle, a few weeks after our 3rd mural at Magnuson Park in July 2023!
KING 5 Evening TV segment!
2:18 min
KING 5 Evening filmed at our first Community Paint Day (Juanita) and interviewed me about the project! Check out this 2-minute TV segment which aired on Channel 5 in April 2022.
Community Paint Days
PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN CORPUZ
We host Community Paint Days to “paint by number” SOS Murals - meaning ANYONE can help paint! We partner with Seattle-based nonprofit Urban ArtWorks to host Community Paint Days.
Our first Paint Day for the Kirkland SOS Mural was held in April 2022 with 160+ volunteers to help paint my design onto the wall. All volunteer painting spots filled within 1 hour of opening signups - we were blown away by the overwhelming support of this project! Our Lake Forest Park Paint Day had 200+ volunteer painters in September 2022. And most recently, our Magnuson Park Seattle Paint Day had 350+ painters!!
Interested in painting at a future SOS Community Paint Day? Sign up for our newsletter!
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS NEIR
The Designs: Native Kokanee
The murals feature kokanee salmon (often referred to as “Little Red Fish”), a bright vivid illustration to remind people of the wildlife we share our local streams with. Kokanee are a type of landlocked sockeye that never make the trip out to the ocean, and are native to Lake Washington and its tributaries.
We typically think of sockeye, chinook, and coho when we think of salmon in Lake Washington, but prior to the 20th century kokanee were the most abundant salmon in the lake. Kokanee were thought to have been locally extinct from Lake Washington by the 2000s, but new research is shedding new light on a few local kokanee runs!
About the Creators
Photo by Kuria Jorissen
About the Artist: Austin Picinich
I’m an 18-year-old artist from Kirkland, WA, a student at University of Washington. I love brightening up my community, and art is the perfect way to do so! I especially love art that has a message and tells a story, and educating about salmon streams through murals is an amazing way to make an impact with art.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Jensen
UW North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers
The SalmonWatchers program - founded and led by UW Bothell biology professor Dr. Jeff Jensen - works with students and community volunteers to positively impact streams like McAleer Creek. Projects include building egg incubators and natural resources for salmon to thrive.
Photo courtesy of Stan Corpuz
Urban ArtWorks
Urban ArtWorks is a Seattle-based nonprofit with a mission to engage youth and communities in the creation of public art that inspires connections and honors their voices. Urban ArtWorks hosts Community Paint Days all across Western Washington to bring public art to life.
Thanks to these supporters for making SOS Murals possible!
SHIRTS Printed by Midnight Supply Co
Merchandise
We created merchandise from the SOS Mural design as T-shirts, stickers, magnets, greeting cards, and more.
The best part? 100% of proceeds go towards North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers to restore local salmon-spawning streams. So far, SOS merchandise has raised over $4,000 for stream restoration.
Shop merchandise via the link below!
Articles
425 Magazine
“Kirkland Teen Artist Saves Salmon”
The Seattle Times
“It takes a village to paint a mural. Sometimes it takes a teen to bring a town together”
Diversity in Action Magazine
20 Under 20: Teen Innovators Changing the World
Watch SOS in the national Inspiring Young Heroes video!
Inspiring Young Heroes flew a film crew from across the country (flying in from NY and CO) to film this documentary for their national “Inspire a Young Hero” campaign. This was filmed during the Lake Forest Park Community Paint Day. (2 min)
Education
Educational Plaques at the Murals
We installed two educational plaques on the side of our Kirkland SOS Mural. Learn about kokanee salmon, why kokanee in particular are at the heart of restoration efforts, and how you can be a good steward supporting kokanee in your community.
Written by Dr. Jeff Jensen - UW biology professor and founder of North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers.
Learn More About Local Creeks
There’s informational signage at Juanita Beach Park (across the street from our Kirkland SOS Mural) where you can read about Juanita Creek. You can hike back in the trails to Juanita Creek and maybe even catch a glimpse of fish!
There’s also informational signage at Animal Acres Park (across the street from our Lake Forest Park SOS Mural) where you can read about McAleer Creek.
