A new Kirk Gibson mural depicting his iconic 1988 World Series walk-off home run that inspired a legendary call from the late Vin Scully was unveiled this week in Atwater Village.
The mural is a collaboration between street artist and muralist Corie ‘LA Hope Dealer’ Mattie and the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s.
Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015 and has been an advocate for awareness since announcing his battle with the disease. The Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s is a non-profit that aims to spread awareness and help those dealing with the disease.
The new mural sits at the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Madera Avenue on the side of Bill’s Liquor Store.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
Titled the “The Impossible Can Happen,” the mural's name is an homage to Vin Scully’s call in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Gibson’s walk-off homer would win the Dodgers their first game of the series. They went on to defeat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 to become the World Series champions.
“It’s like what he did in 1988 was almost impossible and he managed to conquer that, and so it's like taking on this illness with the same mindset. I think you could apply that to anything you’re dealing with in life, and I hope that’s the message that people take away from it,” said Mattie.
Based in Los Angeles, Mattie has several of her murals across the city. She describes her style as pop street art and her work can be usually spotted having a bold yellow background that features black and white imagery.
For this mural, Mattie used a large blue backdrop featuring imagery of Gibson batting and celebrating as he ran around the bases after his walk off homer.
Coming from a background in kinesiology, Mattie said she was excited to get the chance to apply her artistic vision on something so impactful in both the sports world and the community. She was able to complete the mural in the middle of a SoCal heatwave, clocking in over 40 hours on the piece.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“It’s like I always say, good art makes you think but great art makes you do, and if I encouraged someone to go to the QR code and donate or even learn more about Parkinson’s or any type of disease, that’s a win in my book” said Mattie when reflecting on collaborating with the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s.
The 648-square-foot mural features a scannable QR code that will take users to learn more about Parkinson’s disease as well as donate to research efforts for a cure.
Correction: A previous version of this article indicated Kirk Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014. The diagnosis was in 2015.
