A once-drab underpass in Bremerton’s Charleston neighborhood is getting a vibrant new look thanks to a community-led mural project spearheaded by local artist Danielle Rimbert.

Rimbert, owner of Rimbert Illustration on Callow Avenue, is leading efforts to beautify the Wycoff underpass in partnership with the city and the Charleston Business District, a grassroots coalition of neighbors and small businesses. The initiative aims to create a large-scale mural along both walls of the underpass, each spanning more than 2,500 square feet.

“The walls are massive, 35 feet tall and 170 feet long, so this is not a small undertaking,” Rimbert said. “We wanted to see more of an impact beyond what the city budgeted, which only covered prepping, priming and painting the wall a basic color.”

Instead of settling for gray, Rimbert proposed a brighter hue and designed a two-color mural that community members will help paint during a volunteer event scheduled for May 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I’ll draw the design in and then hand people brushes and say, ‘OK, you paint that white, you paint that blue,’” she said. “Hopefully, with a lot of volunteers, we can get it done in a shorter period of time than if I were to paint it by myself.”

The lower half of the mural will feature an abstract waterway design with outlines of fish. The upper portions, which are too tall for volunteer painters, will display printed panels featuring artwork by local artists.

“We put out a call to artists in Kitsap County, asking them to submit work in several themes, nautical, Indigenous art, Washington wildlife, Bremerton history and citizens of note,” Rimbert said. “These will be printed on 3-by-5-foot poly metal-wrapped panels, like the ones you see on utility boxes around the city.”

The city has agreed to install the panels, while local partners such as Sherwin-Williams in Port Orchard are donating paint and supplies. The West Sound Arts Council, a local nonprofit, is acting as the project’s fiscal sponsor, ensuring that all monetary donations are tax-deductible and go directly to funding the mural.

“All of the time and labor is either donated or supported by these contributions,” Rimbert said. “One hundred percent of the funds go back into the project.”

Rimbert has lived and worked in Kitsap County for over 25 years, painting murals, canvases and window displays across the region. Since opening her gallery on Callow Avenue about three and a half years ago, she’s helped unite neighboring businesses to revitalize the area through monthly cleanups, street events and beautification efforts.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth because of that, more foot traffic, new businesses, and bigger events like ‘Cars on Callow,’ ‘Santa vs. Krampus,’ and our recent spring fling,” she said. “Halloween last year was huge. We closed the street, had spooky old cars, dancing, and all the businesses handed out candy. It was the first time our neighborhood did something like that.”

The Wycoff mural is the group’s most ambitious project yet, and Rimbert believes it’s already making an impact.

“Even just having the bright blue color up on the wall already changes how people feel when they drive through the area,” she said. “It says, ‘We’re proud of this place. We care about it.’”

Some critics have voiced concerns about vandalism or graffiti, but Rimbert isn’t deterred.

“Our mentality is, it’s not wasted energy if it’s making the community better,” she said. “Generally, when spaces look neglected, they get neglected. When they look respected, they’re treated with respect.”

With major developments underway nearby, including St. Vincent de Paul’s plans for low-income housing and job training facilities, Rimbert said it’s more important than ever for the neighborhood to take ownership.

“This is us saying we care about this area and we’re willing to work together to make it better,” she said.

For more information, contact Rimbert at Rimbertillustration@gmail.com or 360-536-0681.