Coast Highway 101 art banner tradition set for Sunday
Danny and Norma Salzhandler, with Brenda Dizon, who will take over the progam under her nonprofit, Art Can’t Hurt You, the Morgan Mallory Art Foundation. The three are pictured at the launch party for the unveiling of the 2026 banners. (Courtesy Brenda Dizon)
Creations had hung along Coast Highway 101; now they can be bought
PUBLISHED: August 6, 2026 at 3:03 PM PDT | UPDATED: August 7, 2026 at 3:56 AM PDT
Sea shells, surfboards and some rather fabulous-looking birds have starring roles on a few of this year’s Arts Alive banners in Encinitas, and all the 85 banners now are looking for new homes.
An Encinitas tradition for 26 years, the banners for about two and a half months decorate a six-mile stretch of Coast Highway 101 from La Costa Avenue through Cardiff, plus the
parking lot at Seaside Market. This year’s artistic creations came down July 28, and they’ll soon have new owners.
The annual community reception and a live auction for the banners starts at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Encinitas Community & Senior Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. The minimum bid is $200.
“I’m so proud of the caliber of art we have this year. … The talent that’s out there is just incredible,” said Brenda Dizon, founder and president of Art Can’t Hurt You — The Morgan Mallory Art Foundation.
The nonprofit organization is taking over the banner program this year, allowing its founder and longtime banner-hanging expert Danny Salzhandler to finally retire.
Salzhandler said Wednesday that he’s pleased to hand over the banner program to Dizon, saying it’s about time he stepped down. Last year, he had a professional company hang the banners from the light poles along Coast Highway 101. Before that he did it himself in a bucket truck, and one time he fell out of the bucket and broke his arm.
Dizon said she’s capitalizing on the existing elements of the program and adding new marketing measures, including making the annual silent auction, which occurs in the days before Sunday’s live auction, fully online for the first time.
“I just tried to take this amazing program and elevate it,” she said, adding that this year’s participating artists are very much enjoying all the online publicity their pieces are receiving.
To view the banners, find out who created them, and see how much bidding interest they’re receiving, go to, https://www.artcanthurtyou.org/arts-alive-banners.
“Coastal Wisdom” by artist Christopher Dillman. (Stephen Whalen Photography)
“Reimagining the Mosaic Surfing Madonna” by San Dieguito Academy student artists Avery Anderson and Macy Keifaber. (Stephen Whalen Photography)
On Wednesday afternoon, Banner No. 56 — “Coastal Wisdom,” a great horned owl painted by artist Christopher Dillman — was being rated a “hot item” and receiving top bids.
Dizon said she loves to tell people that these art pieces “can live indoors or outdoors for years,” so there’s lots of possible display locations for anyone contemplating adding a little color to their homes.
As this year’s banner program comes to an end, she’s envisioning the possibilities for next year.
“I’m going to go for 101 (banners) on the 101,” Dizon said, adding that she’ll also reach out to more artists, particularly ones who specialize in ethnic art.
