360° mural experience inspires visitors with life-size illustrations of local, exotic and endangered ocean inhabitants

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a premier nonprofit southern California cultural center, welcomed hundreds of visitors on Thursday, June 20 for the opening of Casa Coastal: Levi Ponce, a summer-long mural exhibition. The opening party included a meet and greet with the artist, live painting stations, a DJ set by NOMIS, and color-changing “Paint Mixer” cocktails.

Artist Levi Ponce

Open dates: Daily Tuesday-Sunday through September 8, 2019, during public hours
Notable days to visit: July 7 (D. Yoder Family Sundays; monthly free admission day); July 20-21 (San Clemente Ocean Festival)
Appropriate for: Families, travelers

From the exhibition overview: “The mural … aims to capture the variety of life in the Pacific Ocean and engulf guests in a sea of color and activity. Almost all of the creatures in the mural are painted at life-size for an immersive experience …

Mysterious light sources spark the imagination, symbolizing that which we have yet to discover in the darker depths of the ocean.

While painting, I learned something alarming about the subject matter: the ocean as we know it is quickly disappearing. Pollution, global warming, and climate change affect the health and populations of micro-species, which in turn endangers every other member of the food chain, including humans. My hope is that this mural reminds us of our friends swimming in the sea and helps to shift our behaviors.” — Levi Ponce