Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright,
the mural's repetitive arched walls are also
reminiscent of the old California Mission.
Just as the Missions did before, the Berryessa
Community Center provides a year-round gathering
place for activities. Included in the mural
are elements from the past, as well as the
present and future, to create a continuum
to this heritage.
Like time portals, two arched doors serve
as a formal exhibition entrance. The left
door leads to an upstairs part of the exhibition
entitled "The Future". Ascending
to an unseen level, the viewer is encouraged
to envisage what is to come, and perhaps
ponder their part in shaping San Jose and
the Santa Clara Valley. The right door is
an entrance to the past, or the "Valley
of the Heart's Delight". Depicted by
a series of illusionary tile murals, these
sweeping agricultural scenes can be seen
throughout all of the exterior arches.
As viewers explore this panorama, they
will discover a subtle but unusual area
that appears to be unfinished tile work.
Closer observations will reveal remnants
of a community that thrived here ten thousand
years before the Europeans. An old stone
pestle and mortar wall, recently uncovered
by ‘tiles’, bears the mark of
the Valley's first food gatherers -- the
Ohlone.
