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Support Spraycan Art Murals in Boyle Heights
Support Spraycan Art Murals in Boyle Heights
Cultural Affairs Commission Meeting
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2005
9:30 A.M. (last item on the agenda)
FIGUEROA PLAZA BOARDROOM
201 North Figueroa Street, 9th Floor
Los Angeles, California, 90012
Please come to this public hearing to show support or to speak
regarding 5 murals in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. I
am serving as the Production Manager for Spraycan murals for this
program, and I will be presenting these five murals to the Cultural
Affairs Commission of the Department of Cultural Affairs on behalf of
the Boyle Heights Mural Pilot Program along with the artists themselves.
Come and speak on the value of these murals to the community of Boyle
Heights, East LA and the City of Los Angeles in general. Tell the
Commission that you feel these murals represent a valuable cultural
asset that should be restored and maintained. The Commission is mainly
looking to see if the murals have community support. Make your voice
heard.
The murals are last on the agenda, so they will most likely not be
discussed until around 10:30 AM. People wishing to speak on the murals
can fill out a speaker card and speak for up to 3 minutes. We need all
the support we can get at this meeting. For every person there against
the murals, we need a person there in favor of the murals. You can
give up your speaking time to others if you wish.
Murals up for review:
2403 Cesar Chavez @ Soto
Artist: Paul Botello
Title: No Greater Love
Existing brush painted mural painted in 1992 will be submitted with no
changes.
2814 Cesar Chavez in alley by Bar Floresta
Artists: Visions Crew
Title: Visions of the Beanstalk
New spraycan piece to replace the existing Visions Crew mural. The new
mural is based on the Jack and the Beanstalk theme.
2900 Cesar Chavez @ Savannah
Artists: Visions Crew
Title: The Leprechauns Versus The Goblins
Existing spraycan mural, will be presented with slight revisions of the
signatures. Mural depicts the Leprechauns (Visions Crew) battling the
Goblins in the battle between the haves and have-nots.
2936 Cesar Chavez @ Evergreen
Artists: Visions Crew and other artists
Title: The Aquarium
Existing spraycan mural will have a few tags touched up, and the left
portion of the mural that was added after the fact by Size will be
integrated into the underwater theme. Upper portion of wall will be
painted sky blue.
2600 Cesar Chavez @ Mott St.
Artist: Alex Rodriguez
Title: "Flor Latina"
New spraycan piece by the artist incorporating the theme of Latina
women as flowers.
Parking for Hearing
The Center for the Arts Eagle Rock has offered to reimburse people that
pay up to $6 for parking while attending the hearing. There is a $6
lot at Figueroa and Temple Streets and at 1st Street and Beaudry
Streets. Bring parking stub for reimbursement at the hearing.
On-Line Petition and Information
www.centerartseaglerock.org
You can find out more about the program and can sign an on-line
petition to support the program.
I (Stash Maleski) have resigned from my position as a Graphic Designer
and Print Production Supervisor at the Cultural Affairs Department so
that I can devote time to work on this project and other ICU Art
projects. At this point I am donating my time free of charge to this
program.
History of Boyle Heights Mural Pilot Program
Murals Complained About and Cited - March 2005
In March of 2005 a Boyle Heights property owner and resident called the
Department of Building and Safety to complain about several murals in
The Boyle Heights neighborhood that he felt were unattractive and a
blight for the community. The Department of Building and Safety (BAS)
is responsible for inspection and enforcement of ordinances related to
cultural murals and commercial signage. The Department of Cultural
Affairs is responsible for the review and permitting of all cultural
and artistic murals, but has Building and Safety do the enforcement and
inspection of particular sites. Building and Safety found that 20
murals that were complained about did not have the proper permits as
cultural murals or commercial signs. Left with no alternative, the
Building and Safety cited the building owners. Normally the building
owners would have 30 days to apply for the proper permits before the
city, remove the violation or be subject to hefty fines. Many of the
murals cited where spraycan murals, other were traditional brush style
murals and others were commercial signs.
Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa Moves to Save Murals - April 2005
Anticipating a grave loss to the cultural heritage of the community,
then Councilmember of the 14 District, Antonio Villaraigosa, conceived
of a program to help save the murals of Boyle Height. The Council
Office achieved a moratorium on enforcement of the City ordinance for
the murals cited and gave discretionary district funds to a program to
help get the murals permitted through the existing city structure.
Program Established at Self Help Graphics
The program was originally a program of Self Help Graphics, which is a
long-standing non-profit arts organization located in the Boyle Heights
area. Unfortunately Self Graphics was having it own problems, and
closed its doors later that year. The program was then diverted to the
Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, which is an independent, non-profit
arts center located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Council District
14.
Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
Jenny Krusoe, Executive Director of the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
is the Director of the Program now called the Boyle Heights Mural Pilot
Program. Christina Ochoa, who was running the program as part of Self
Help Graphics remained with the program as a Project Director and Head
of Community Outreach. Lui Sanchez of the Center for the Arts is also
serving as a Project Director and as Production Manager for Brush
Murals. Stash Maleski, Director of ICU Art, and a long time graffiti
art advocate came on as Production Manager for Spraycan Murals in mid
August. Robbie Conal, national recognized political poster artist is
help to establish an advisory board of prominent fine artists from Los
Angeles. Alex Rodriguez, John "Zender" Estrada, Joseph Montalvo, Erick
"Duke" Montenegro, all long time spraycan and brush muralists, are
serving as independent consultants and advisors to the program. Council
District 14 staff continues to serve as advisors to the program, but
are not responsible for the program other than having provided the
initial funding for the program.
Program Goals
The Boyle Heights Mural Pilot Program is serving as a liaison between
the mural artists, the Boyle Heights Community and the City of Los
Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Building
and Safety. The goal is to save the murals that were cited and to then
maintain those walls for a period of one year.
Building Owners Remove Certain Murals
Unfortunately approximately 12 of the original 20 murals cited have
been painted over by the building owners who were originally cited.
These building owners acted independently of the Pilot Program. The
Pilot Program did not get to these building owners in time or was
unable to convince them that their murals should or could be preserved
and properly restored and permitted. Many of the murals had been
damaged by unsightly vandalism. At his point there are 7 murals which
will be preserved and one set of murals in a back alleyway which is
still be evaluated before a course of action is taken.
Misperceptions About the Program
A front-page article In the Los Angeles Times on August 25, 2005
contained several important errors and has lead to a misperception
about the goals and powers of this Pilot Program. The Pilot Program is
run by an independent non-profit arts organization (Center for the Arts
Eagle Rock) and is not a government agency and certainly not part of
the Department of Cultural Affairs or the Department of Building and
Safety. The Pilot Program has no power to cite building owners or to
enforce any city ordinance such as those pertaining to murals or
signage. The program is in no way encouraging the removal of any
murals and is not part of any ordinance enforcement action taken by the
City of Los Angeles. Most importantly the Department of Building and
Safety and the Department of Cultural Affairs has assured the Program
that the City does not intend to use this Pilot Program as an excuse to
then step up enforcement of any City ordinances or codes. The City
will continue to cite murals or signs that fall under their
jurisdiction that do not have the proper permits, but will primarily
review cases brought to its attention by citizen complaints. It is true
that the Pilot Program is working with these city departments because
it is through the existing network of City regulations and departments
that the murals in the program need to be permitted and maintained.
7 Murals to be Restored and Submitted for Permits
Seven murals will be restored, submitted, "as is" or repainted as part
of the Pilot Program. The first 5 of these murals are up for review
this Friday, September 9th before the Cultural Affairs Commission of
the Department of Cultural Affairs. The next 2 murals have been
submitted for review and will be reviewed in the coming weeks.
Why Repaint or Restore?
In order for a mural to be permitted by the City of Los Angeles
Department of Cultural Affairs, there must be an artist name on record
for that mural. The artist must submit their name, address, phone
number and e-mail to the City so that they can be contacted regarding
any issues related to the mural. If the mural was done by a group or
crew, there must be one person to come forward and represent that crew.
Issues would include: a mural is damaged by vandalism, a new building
tenant wishes to remove the mural, a film crew wishes to shoot a film
in front of the mural or a photographer wishes to include a photo of
the mural in a publication. The City insists that any new murals have
a comprehensive mural maintenance program established at the time of
production to ensure that the mural dos not become covered with
vandalism without a pre-established method of restoration. If there is
no artist on record for a mural, then the mural cannot be permitted and
must be removed by the building owner. These are existing City of Los
Angeles ordinances that have been in-effect more many years. The Pilot
Program is an attempt to soften the blow of these existing ordinances
in an effort to preserve as many murals as possible working within the
existing framework.
The Decision to Repaint or Restore a Mural
The decision to change or repaint an existing mural is based on several
factors. The building owner is the primary person that makes the
decision whether or not they want to have a mural or a sign on their
wall. If they decide that a mural is too far deteriorated or does not
represent themselves or the community, it is within their power to
paint over a mural as long as they give ample notice to the artist who
painted the mural. By California law, an artist who paints a mural
must be notified and given up to 90 days to remove or document their
work of art prior to it being removed. If the artist created the work
for the building owner and a prior agreement was reached regarding how
long the mural would stay on the wall that would be taken into
consideration. If the artist did not sign the mural and it is not
known who the artist is, there must be a good faith effort made to find
and contact the artist in order to notify them of the mural being
removed or painted over. If after 90 days, no artist comes forward to
claim their work, the mural can be removed or painted over. In this
case, the building owner can have the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
find a local artist to paint a new mural at the location, so that there
is no net loss of murals to the community. If the building owner and
the original muralists both agree that they would like a new mural
instead of an existing mural, the Pilot Program will pay a limited
amount of money to have the mural redesigned, submitted for City
approval, painted and maintained for one year. This is the case for
the new mural being painted by the Visions Crew at 2814 Cesar Chavez
called Visions of the Beanstalk.
Future of the Program - Citywide
The original goal of the Pilot Program was to be successful at saving
those murals that had been cited. If the program is a success, then it
would be potentially funded and be expanded to the other 14 Council
Districts. Most importantly, the program needs to be successful at
saving and maintaining the seven murals on the table now. The Program
will prepare a comprehensive evaluation of the program and will proceed
from there.
Possible Speaking Points Regarding the 5 Mural up for Review
Cultural Tourism
People come from all over the country and all over the world to see the
famed murals of East LA. These 5 murals are excellent examples of
mural the community can be proud of. The 4 spraycan based murals
represent the latest generation in a long line of important public
muralist from the Los Angeles community. These murals have gained fame
through reproduction in books, magazines and on the Internet. These
murals are an important element that help make Boyle Heights an
important tourist destination bringing a valuable infusion of cash into
the local economy.
Vandalism Deterrent
Many of these murals were originally painted as a form of vandalism
abatement. These specific walls had been covered with hardcore gang
graffiti and "tags" for many years. The building owners and tenants
gave their permission for these murals in part in an effort to deter
illegal vandalism. These murals are being presented along with a
comprehensive mural maintenance program which will provide funding and
support services in the event that any of them gets hit by vandalism.
The artist that actually produced the murals will be notified and paid
to fix the mural within 5 days of notification ensuring that a single
tag does not lead to a mural covered in unsightly tags.
Artistic Expression
We live in a society that supposedly values free expression. These
artists should be free to express themselves artistically and
politically using their preferred method of expression, which happens
to be the spraycan or brush. We should show community support for this
sort of expression. If we do not, the people wish to have a sterile
and bland public environment free of color and life will win.
Valuable Work Skills
Murals such as these in Boyle Heights provide opportunities for young
muralists to perfect their craft in a field that can provide sustaining
opportunities for these artists in the world of graphic design, scenic
design, marketing and fine art. Most of these artists are self-taught,
learning their craft from their fellow crew members at no cost to the
City with little or no assistance from non-profit groups and
institutions. These murals are defacto work program for young artists
wishing to learn a trade.
Neighborhood Pride and Beautification
Cultural murals bring life and color to communities helping to set
themselves apart from neighboring communities. In general we value
individuality, expression, cultural history and traditions. These
values are reflected by public mural art. People in a neighborhood are
more likely to take pride in a neighborhood that they feel is
beautiful. The more beautiful a neighborhood, the more likely the
residents are to care for that neighborhood in other ways. Murals tell
the story of a neighborhood and its people.
Spraycan Art has Value as Fine Art
Spraycan Art is one of the most important art movements of the last
quarter century and continues to gain momentum into the 21st Century.
Graffiti style art has become part of the permanent collection of this
country's most prominent museums and cultural institutions including
the Smithsonian, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art. Important Galleries from Los Angeles to
Tokyo to New York and Paris continue to discover the value of
"graffiti art" as a viable and important form inside and outside of the
gallery setting. New art movements historically are not accepted when
first introduced. They are new and not always understood, so often the
status quo rejects them. This seems to be the case for spraycan art.
Slowly the art from has been recognized as legitimate. It is certainly
not going away and has produced some very talented gallery artists.
Graffiti Style Art as Commercial Art Form
Many of the spraycan artists in Los Angeles are some of the most sought
after commercial artists working today. Their artwork has been used in
marketing campaigns for companies from General Motors, Disney,
Coca-Cola and others. If the artwork is good enough for our countries
most respected and trusted brand names in a commercial context, why is
the art from not accepted when it is not selling a product?
Murals Mean a Neighborhood is in the Ghetto or Barrio
For some people the presence of mural art signifys that neighborhood is
in the ghetto. Yet many upscale communities in Southern California and
the United States have murals and high property values to go with the
murals. In Los Angeles, Venice and Santa Monica are two communities
that have a large concentration of mural art and they have some of the
highest relative property values in all of Los Angeles County. Working
with the City of Beverly Hills, ICU Art produced 5 spraycan art murals
on construction barricades in the heart of the Beverly Hills business
district. You can't get more upscale than that. The City of Lompoc in
Northern California has adopted a mural program which has allowed the
city to transition from a failing agricultural economy to a lucrative
tourist driven economy centered around the hundreds of public murals on
city walls.
Thank you. Please contact me with questions or concerns.
Stash Maleski
Production Manager for Spraycan Murals
Boyle Heights Mural Pilot Program
Director
In Creative Unity - ICU Art
(310) 309-7756
stash@icuart.com
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