Interactive Mural to Be Painted at Mall

The Oaks mall courtyard will be transformed into an artist’s studio when muralist Martin Charlot takes up residence for six weeks to paint a mural titled “Science, Nature and Technology.”

Sponsored by the Ventura County Discovery Center, the mural will reflect the center’s mission of promoting an understanding of science while inspiring people of all ages to expand their thinking and creative powers, officials said.

It will be interactive, just as the center’s proposed museum will be interactive, said Executive Director Carrie Glicksteen.

“We’ll ask students if they can find where gravity is demonstrated or if they can locate three reptiles,” Glicksteen said. “The mural will be playful with a lot of details. You won’t be able to see everything at first look.”

Glicksteen said the 7-by-15-foot work will engage adults as well as children.

Known for 20 years of work blending the arts and science, Charlot is also a writer, actor, filmmaker, illustrator and educator. He has agreed to have the mural reproduced as a poster, copies of which will be sold to raise money for the fledgling Discovery Center.

Shoppers and art lovers can watch the muralist at work beginning Thursday through April 26.