Akoma Unity Center
1367 N. California St. San Bernardino, CA 92411
Akoma Unity Center is a nonprofit organization in San Bernardino that provides after school programs and youth clubs for children. They requested a mockup of many of their onsite locations to illustrate how it could look with some dramatic improvements. These would be submitted to the More Attractive Communities (MAC) Foundation for the Anne Shirrell’s “Park Beautification Project.”
In August of 2019, Akoma Unity Center received a $135,000 grant due to the mockups I created. Read the full article in the Inland Empire Community News here.
The before and after images can be seen below. Slide the slider to compare the original image to mockup.
Volleyball Court
All they had was a dirt lot and a makeshift volleyball net anchored in place with concrete buckets. The kids always managed to have fun either way, but Akoma Unity Center aspired to have a professional volleyball court with a high quality net, a finished floor, and some benches in the back.
Utilizing the same skillset, I was able to make that vision a reality.
Community Garden
There was an empty lot which used to be a garden many years prior. They wanted it to create a community garden.
Utilizing perspective and a plethora of digital layers, I was able to provide a mockup of how it could look at full capacity with grass, plants, and chairs for their gardening classes.
Basketball Court Improvement
Akoma Unity Center had a rather plain basketball court. They wanted to see how it would look with a finished floor.
Wall Mural
Akoma Unity Center felt that the side of their building was bland and empty. Since it faces the street, it held a great opportunity for a mural. At the time, they didn’t have much of a specific design in mind for the mural apart from a few pictures they gave me. It was plenty to work with.
I was able to successfully provide a mockup of how the wall would look with a mural painted on it. Keeping with the attention to detail, this mockup also shows the finished flooring for the volleyball court from the previous image.
Relaxation and Meditation Bench
There was a tree that provided a tremendous amount of shade in which they felt could house a small meditation area with stepping stones, benches, and a fountain.
Round Bench around a Tree
There was a tree on the volleyball court, around which they wanted a bench. With a 360 degree sitting area around a tree, kids would have a peaceful place to rest to either eat their lunch, wait for their turn on the volleyball court, or simply relax and talk with their friends.
Photo AUC: From left – Rikke Van Johnson Ret Ward 6 City Council member, Sam Catalano MAC Foundation member, City of San Bernardino staff, Kimberly Calvin Akoma’s ED, Alex MAC Foundation member, Dolores Armstead Akoma’s Board Member.