Pasadena Temple Commissions Artist Who Lost Her Work in the Eaton Fire to Lead Community Mural

An artist who lost her home and nearly her entire body of work in the Eaton Fire is now leading a community mural project at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple, where anyone affected by the blaze can pick up a brush and help paint. 

The temple commissioned Miki Yokoyama, a self-taught artist who had lived in Altadena for 13 years before the fire destroyed her family’s home in January 2025, according to a report in the Rafu Shimpo. Yokoyama lost not just her house but her supplies and countless paintings — nearly her entire body of work, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by friends of the family. 

The mural project, which the temple calls the “Hope & Healing” Mural Project, began February 1 and is open to all fire-affected residents. 

Painting sessions take place Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Yokoyama is on the grounds during each session to direct participants. The temple says it is is not looking for trained artists. It is looking for neighbors. 

The project arrives just over a year after the Eaton Fire.

The Pasadena Buddhist Temple, which has anchored the neighborhood’s Japanese American community since 1948, nearly became one of the structures lost. Embers ignited beneath the main hall during the fire, and neighbors hosing down their own rooftops spotted the smoke, jumped the temple fence and extinguished the blaze, according to the Rafu Shimpo. The temple suffered extensive smoke contamination across its buildings and spent months in remediation. 

About 15 of the temple’s members lost their homes, according to a report by the Buddhist Churches of America. The temple raised and distributed nearly $90,000 to fire victims, then launched a separate $100,000 fund for its own building repairs, according to Cultural News. 

Keiro, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that serves older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American community, provided the financial assistance to purchase all the materials for the mural, according to the Rafu Shimpo. The organization, founded in 1961, operates across Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. 

Yokoyama was born in 1979 in Fukushima, Japan, and has worked across canvas, murals, objects and live performance, according to her profiles with Artsy and LA Metro. She has created murals at locations across Los Angeles and in Japan. 

To sign up for weekly notifications about painting hours, which are subject to change, email PasadenaSangha@icloud.com. The temple is located at 1993 Glen Ave. in Pasadena. A large parking lot is available; if the parking lot gate is closed, the temple grounds are also closed.

The first painting sessions have already taken place. The mural will remain open for community participation until it is completed, according to the temple’s website.