Altadena Wild Billboard

The Altadena WILD billboard was designed by Victor Ving (of Greetings Tour) in collaboration with Craft Ads. This project was especially meaningful to Victor as it marked one of the first times he used his artwork for environmental activism:

As a local artist, I wanted to support the mission of Altadena WILD by raising awareness through my craft. Nature is a huge source of inspiration for me and many in the artistic community. The ability to immediately escape to our local trails and immerse ourselves in a tranquil natural setting is one of the main reasons I chose to call this area home.

The Nuccio brothers have been valued members of the Altadena community for a long time, and they have every right to sell their property to whomever they choose. However, the entity purchasing the land should not be allowed to do anything they want with it beyond the confines of zoning laws and regulations. I feel that Poly’s marketing of being “environmentally conscious” is contradicted by their choice of this location alone. Within just one year, their development plans have already evolved to be more expansive. That said, I have valid concerns that once they acquire this land, incremental changes over time will lead to a devastating impact.

Preserving these foothills with better land use allows future generations to continue finding inspiration and solace in the beauty of our shared natural spaces. There are some solutions on the horizon that can’t be publicly shared, but I trust the Altadena WILD organization to do what they do best and fight for a better outcome.

I felt it was an organic fit to connect Altadena WILD with Craft Ads, a local company dedicated to reviving the art of billboard design through traditional hand-painted artwork. Having provided my artwork in vector format for large-scale billboards in the past, the results always felt like it was missing some soul to it. I'm excited that Craft Ads, a local business, is addressing this issue and working to restore the genuine connection between art and advertising.

In addition to the billboard artwork, I designed some postcards, yard signs and stickers to help spread awareness. To be clear, I was not hired to do any of this work and it was all a proactive donation from my end. The designs tied to some local murals around Altadena to make the visual connection to our public art series in the community.

Altadena WILD Press Release from 10/7/2024:

The billboard addresses a significant land use issue arising in northern Altadena. In late 2022, Polytechnic School revealed plans to purchase 78 acres of rugged lands along Chaney Trail in the northern Altadena foothills. Since then, the private school has announced plans to build Poly Fields, dominated by a sports complex, on a portion of the land. The proposed athletics campus will be located seven miles from the school’s main Pasadena location. Initial plans submitted to Los Angeles County’s Department of Regional Planning reveal a dense campus including a football/soccer stadium, baseball stadium, tennis courts, gymnasium, training facility, wellness center, a “security lodge,” and other associated buildings. The campus will include night lighting and underground parking for 208 vehicles.

The proposed development site is within a State-designated very high fire hazard zone, is adjacent to the Altadena Foothills and Arroyos Significant Ecological Area and the newly expanded San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, and next to a County-designated rural outdoors lighting district. AltadenaWILD President Michael D. Bicay says, “Nearly 7000 people, the vast majority from Altadena and Pasadena, have signed a petition of opposition to the proposed development. I have talked to hundreds of them and reactions are immediate and intense -- the planned development site is simply the wrong place for this concept on many levels.” He also notes that “Poly alumni are among the opponents of Poly Fields.”

Bicay goes on to say, “Looking beyond the fact that this concept is a private playground for a school not of this community, the proposed development will undoubtedly increase the risk to public safety in a hazard zone and impact wildlife and migration routes in the surrounding wildlands.”

Billboard Debut Event

Local coffee shop Cafe De Leche was kind enough to host the billboard launch event. Their Altadena location is right at the base of the billboard so it made perfect sense.

UPDATE: On the day of the launch event 10/8 Polytechnic school issued a statement that they are abandoning the plans to build the Sports Complex! Truly a reason to celebrate but the message stays consistent and a reminder that our community can come together to make a difference!