Graffiti News

The wall’s surface complicates protection

Reno’s California Avenue mural needs a special approach to anti-graffiti protection because its concrete surface is heavily corrugated. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal’s May 15, 2026 report, the city was exploring an application method after a dedication ceremony for the $100,000 artwork. Officials said most city murals have an anti-graffiti coating, but the pronounced ridges on this wall create a particular challenge.

The distinction matters: the report describes an unresolved protection issue, rather than reporting that the new mural has been tagged. It gives no completion date for a coating application. A repair plan and materials are available, but those preparations do not mean the preventive treatment is already in place.

For people following public art, the case brings the support beneath the painting into view. A mural’s physical setting is part of its future care. Here, the same wall that accommodates a long artwork also creates a technical question about protecting the finished paint.

A long retaining wall became a public artwork

The mural stretches for 1,000 feet along California Avenue, west of downtown Reno and across from Reno High School. The retaining wall varies in height from 3 to 18 feet. Those dimensions make the wall itself an essential part of understanding the project: this is an extended artwork on an uneven concrete structure.

California-based ABG Art Group designed the mural, with artists Elliot Trent Thompson and Tsui-Xiao-Rui Sorell Raino-Tsui. A team of artists painted it. The Gazette-Journal reported that Reno selected the group from 57 applicants nationwide, choosing artists familiar with large community mural projects.

Reno Councilwoman Naomi Duerr said the tall walls had historically attracted graffiti and described the area as heavily traveled. Her comments explain the concern behind the protection question. They also place the artwork within an everyday route used by many people, where the condition of a wall is visible beyond the audience that specifically seeks out murals.

Reporting damage connects viewers with the care team

Reno’s Arts and Culture team directly handles graffiti on public art, according to the newspaper. Residents can report graffiti through Reno Direct at 775-334-4636 or use the city’s online reporting option. Officials said the artists supplied spare materials and paint specifications for repairs.

Those details show two different parts of the care process. The coating under consideration concerns prevention; the extra materials and paint information support a response if damage occurs. Keeping those functions separate helps explain why the city can have repair preparations while still investigating how to apply a protective treatment.

For a mural viewer, the practical response to visible damage is to use the city’s reporting channel. The designated public-art team can handle the report within its responsibility for the work. Nothing in the source suggests visitors should attempt to clean or repaint the mural themselves.

The broader cultural point is that a dedication does not end a public artwork’s story. In this case, the source documents both a completed painting and a continuing maintenance question. Following the work means paying attention to its condition as well as its design.

The commission used a separate room-tax allocation

The California Avenue project was financed with room-tax revenue allocated in Reno’s fiscal 2025 budget. Reno City Council approved commissioning ABG Art Group in May 2025. The Gazette-Journal explained that this was a special allocation separate from the city’s usual 2% public-art budget, because room-tax money can be designated for specific uses.

The newspaper also outlined Reno’s 2% for Art Ordinance. It requires 2% of total construction costs for eligible municipal-property and park projects to go toward public art. Of that allocation, 10% is reserved in a fund for maintenance, conservation and curatorial services for works in the public collection. The maintenance share is therefore a portion of the art allocation, rather than 10% of the entire construction budget.

These funding details distinguish the cost of commissioning the mural from the wider framework for caring for public art. The report does not identify a price or funding decision for the special coating.

To locate the artwork, use California Avenue across from Reno High School as the reference point. Looking at the wall’s ridges and changing height alongside the painting gives visitors a concrete way to understand the protection issue. Explore other street art through the Wallscape map.

Source: Reno Gazette-Journal