Artists hope to transform Hollywood Boulevard with vivid murals on business shutters

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hollywood Boulevard, the iconic star-lined street, is getting a facelift as part of a beautification project to restore a little of Tinseltown's twinkle.

Talented young artists took part to clean up the boulevard. They are part of the Beautify Hollywood project that was started by Beautify Earth, a non-profit consisting of artists who add flair to neglected or impoverished communities.

About 40 businesses along the boulevard between Highland Avenue and Vine Street are participating in the beautification project, and the organization hopes to get it to 100 or more.

"One day, I was walking home and I thought, these old shutters tell a story. We really need to refresh them with an updated story for all the people that are walking up and down the street," Jay Marose said.

Heineken Beer is one of the companies providing the seed money for the project. Raul Esquer, brand manager for the company, said the project was important to fund because it would change and transform the neighborhood.

Some of the murals going up feature Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Chaplin, Ellen DeGeneres and Madonna.

Among the artists is Reigndrop Lopes, the younger sister of TLC's late Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes. She is creating a mural for her sister on one of the steel shutters.

"I try to do anything I can to honor her and pay tribute to her. It kind of makes it easier, you know, to live with her not being here," she said.

The organization set up an Indiegogo campaign set up to keep the project going strong at www.indiegogo.com/beautifyhollywood.