Three weeks ago, local artist Duane Flatmo went public on social media with some personal health news and an invite to a June 13 party in Eureka: “Hope to see you at this event. Some of you might know already that I have been given some troubling health news and would love to see friends and families so we can share our memories of good times together.”
In response to that invite and his promise to bring El Pulpo Magnifico, his 30-foot tall, flame-throwing octopus, an estimated 1,000 or more friends and fans of Flatmo’s artistic creativity showed up Saturday evening to celebrate his nearly 50-year contribution to the arts and business scene in Humboldt County. And thanks to the efforts of Eureka Councilmember Kati Moulton, Mayor Kim Bergel and others, the party included a dedication ceremony for a street alley named Duane Flatmo Alley in his honor. The alley is adjacent to the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts between F and G streets and Fourth and Fifth streets.
Party attendees filled the closed F Street and the large parking lot behind the Arkley Center that bears Flatmo’s huge mural on its back wall. Given his long participation in the Kinetic Grand Championship, the crowd included a Glory of Rutabaga Queens and Princesses for Life, two kinetic race vehicles and crew members, along with stilt walkers and many dancers ready to boogie to El Pulpo’s soundtrack.
Bergel welcomed the crowd to the alley dedication and introduced Cherie Arkley, who shared the backstory of how in 2003 she and her husband Rob bought the theater property from then Humboldt State University and renovated it into the Arkley Center; it opened on Feb. 3, 2007, with a Kenny Rogers performance. “Rob and I then wanted to do something with the big blank outside wall in back,” said Arkley, “so we proposed to Duane that he use the wall as his biggest canvas ever to paint a mural to the arts. We’re very proud of Duane, given the results.” It took Flatmo seven months in 2009 to paint the 70-foot by 70-foot Tribute to Architecture and Performing Arts mural, the tallest north of San Francisco, with images of the Arc de Triomphe, jazz musician Bobby Hackett on trumpet, dancer Cyd Charisse and conductor Sir Adrian Boult. He was rehired 10 years later to repaint it (another four months) after water damage to the wall.
Bergel and Moulton then gathered everyone’s attention to the unveiling of the Duane Flatmo Alley sign. They next shared gifts, a Key to the City and a proclamation honoring him as “a local treasure whose creativity, humor and unmistakable artistic spirit have left an indelible mark on the city and far beyond.”
Flatmo was also presented with a large decorative metal hanging sculpture created by local artist Amber Jones, who said it represents his first octopus creation El Pulpo Mecanico and a couple of his sea creature friends (angler fish and seahorse). “Its name is ‘El Pulpito Familia,’ meaning how his fans feel about him and his wonderful octopus machine. Our shared love of his art and creations makes us familia in all the best of ways.”
Moulton then shared her backstory with Flatmo as a mentor, describing the 12 years she spent painting murals in Eureka with him as he led the Rural Burl Mural Bureau, an Ink People Center for the Arts project. She replaced Flatmo when he moved on to other projects. She also shared a touching, funny poem called “Flatmology” written by Willoughby Arevalo about what he, Moulton and other young people learned from Flatmo during their apprenticeships painting murals with him. The poem starts with, “Duane Flatmo taught me …” and ends with “… how to paint the town/to follow my passion/how to be a good role model/how to be larger than life/how to write in all caps/to see from more than one angle (at once)/how to learn/to pass the torch/to be a teacher.”
After the unveiling of the Duane Flatmo Alley sign to loud cheers and applause from the crowd, Flatmo took the mic. “First, I want to thank two people: my 88-year-old mom Jeanne who gave birth to me and who is here tonight. And thanks to my wife Micki … who trained me.” As he ended his remarks, he summed up his long-standing approach to life that he intends to continue as long as possible given his current health challenges: “I plan to keep doing good stuff and to help make this community a better place.” (Also see the June 11 North Coast Journal cover story, “Duane Flatmo wants to Wow,” an interview with the local icon about his childhood and artistic career.)
As darkness fell, Andrew Goff and Will Startare, longtime El Pulpo team members and its new owners, helped Flatmo ignite El Pulpo and the crowd into hours of dancing amid blasts of heat from the many propane-fueled burners and pulsating music coming from the mechanical octopus.
Mark Larson (he/him) is a retired Cal Poly Humboldt journalism professor and active freelance photographer who likes to walk.
This article appears in Miranda’s Rescue Under Scrutiny, Part 1.