Community

Santa Ana mural celebrates two local arts milestones

The nearly completed downtown artwork depicts real ballet folklórico dancers and brings students into a large-scale public art project.

Published October 22, 2026 • Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles and New Santa Ana

A new mural on Fourth Street in downtown Santa Ana celebrates the 40th anniversary of Orange County School of the Arts and the 50th anniversary of Relámpago del Cielo, a local ballet folklórico organization.

Students help turn local dance into public art

ABC7 reported Thursday that muralist Eric Michael worked with OCSA students to create the piece, using papel picado-inspired details and likenesses of actual Relámpago del Cielo dancers. OCSA president and CEO Teren Shaffer described it as a dedication to Santa Ana for embracing the school over four decades.

Earlier reporting by New Santa Ana documented the project while painting was underway. It said Relámpago del Cielo helped guide the mural's cultural direction and that students and alumni worked alongside Michael on the prominent downtown wall.

The mural was nearly complete when ABC7 visited. Its scale, youth participation and focus on a long-running Mexican folk-dance organization add a new community landmark to Santa Ana's downtown arts corridor.

Original local reporting: ABC7 Los Angeles — October 22, 2026 →

Project background: New Santa Ana — August 19, 2026 →