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L.A.'s NEWEST MURALS COLUMN

compiled by Robin Dunitz

The following new murals were completed through October, 2001. If you want your public to know about your newest mural, please send the information, along with a picture if possible, to:
Robin Dunitz, PO Box 5483, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413.
Or you can call (818) 487-0416

Tina Allen, “Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Charles Drew,” King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, 120th Street and Compton Avenue, Watts, concrete relief, 42' x 32', 1999.
Portraits of the two heroes on the main building of this new magnet high school, which is located across the street from King/Drew Medical Center. Tina Allen is a nationally renowned sculptor who has lived in Los Angeles since 1988.

Richard Wyatt, assisted by Alberto Garibay, “Long Beach: A New Dawn,” Long Beach City Hall, Civic Center, Downtown Long Beach, acrylic on canvas, 2000.
Multicultural, multigenerational group of people standing in front of recognizable Long Beach icons.Man One, Untitled, Cherry and 10th, Long Beach, spraycan, 2000.

Jacqueline Alexander, “Sharing Ourselves,” Los Angeles Public Library, Junipero Serra branch, 4607 South Main Street, South Los Angeles, Photo silkscreen, 4 panels, 4' x 4' (each), 2000.
Each panel represents a different ethnic group and includes images of people reading or making art.

Van Ho (student contest winner at Covina High School), “Covina Past and Present,” Gunn's Interiors, 128 East College St., Covina, acrylic, 2000.
The first mural completed in the City of Covina's plan to bring murals and other public art to its Historic Downtown area and along the Metrolink tracks.


Richard Wyatt, “Long Beach: A New Dawn,” Long Beach City Hall, Civic Center, Downtown Long Beach, acrylic on canvas, 2000.




Jacqueline Alexander, “Sharing Ourselves,” Los Angeles Public Library, Junipero Serra branch, 4607 South Main Street, South Los Angeles, Photo silkscreen, 4 panels, 4' x 4' (each), 2000.

Dolores Guerrero-Torres with students from Telfair Ave. Elementary School, “Pacoima Pride,” El Dorado Avenue near Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima, acrylic, 66' x 5 1/2', 2000.
The area's history, featuring Hansen Dam, the Chumash who used to live around there, American and Mexican flags, and the first woman postmaster.

Mari Shepard, Untitled, Shepherd's Community Church, 22222 Saticoy Street, Canoga Park, 2000.
Set of murals based on Bible stories.



Mahara T. Sinclaire, “N. Hollywood, Tribute,”
10900 Chandler Blvd., N. Hollywood, acrylic, 18 x 44’, 2001.
NoHo Arts District murals:

Mahara T. Sinclaire, “N. Hollywood, Tribute,”10900 Chandler Blvd., N. Hollywood, acrylic, 18 x 44’, 2001.
The street life of the NoHo district is compressed into a colorful composition of fast food stands, signs, and cars.

Susan Krieg, “Home of the Peach,” Chandler Blvd. (near Satsuma), North Hollywood, acrylic, 2001.
A large monarch butterfly surrounded by peach trees and people harvesting peaches

Carey Miller, Untitled, 2000 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood, three mosaic panels, 2001
Imaginative use of ceramic tile to depict flowers.

Betty Dore, “NoHo Labels,” Chandler Blvd. near Vineland, North Hollywood, acrylic, 2001.
Historic-looking fruit crate labels, but with made-up names featuring historic figures such as Rosie the Riveter and Amelia Earhart.

Robert Spiewak, assisted by Beret K. Malmgren and Matt Williams, “Media Monster,” 10832 Chandler Blvd. (at Satsuma Ave.), North Hollywood, acrylic, 2001.


Betty Dore, “NoHo Labels,”
Chandler Blvd. near Vineland,
North Hollywood, acrylic, 2001.
The mural reads from left to right. The City required transportation as a theme, but the artist stretched it to focus on the transportation of data at an industry/machine level. At the far left is a telephone pole, representing the earliest form of data transfer--our digital past. On the far right is our digital future, fiber optic contacts that are housed inside of camera connections and are smaller than an inch. In the center is the great monolithic skyline of LA/movie industry/broacast/etc. There are am, fm, analog and other various wave lengths that ultimately evolve into the most modern signal of our time, digital--represented by all the zeros and ones. This is the artist's first mural. He is a fiber optic technician who graduated from CSUN in printmaking 2 years ago.

Notable, outside of Los Angeles:

Richard Wyatt, “The Sun Rises,” Little Church of the Desert, 6079 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, 2001.



Art Mortimer, “Upland Past and
Present,” Downtown Upland (near
Ontario), acrylic, 12' x 33', 2001.
Catherine Day (instructor at Ventura Community College), “Portrait of a Neighborhood,” Ventura Avenue Library, interior, Casa de Anza, 606 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, 15 wood panels, 2000.
Highlights the rich history and community of Ventura Avenue from the Chumash times through today. Commemorates one of Ventura's oldest neighborhoods, the Simpson Tract, as an historic district.

Art Mortimer, “Upland Past and Present,” Downtown Upland (near Ontario), acrylic, 12' x 33', 2001.
Celebrates the history of the citrus industry in Upland. The mural is in the heart of the old citrus packing house district. Upland's citrus industry is now largely overrun by suburbia.


AFRICAN AMERICAN MURALS EXHIBIT COMING TO STILL ARTS CENTER

“African American Murals of South L.A.” is a photography exhibit coming to William Grant Still Arts Center June 16th through July 31. Curated by MCLA board member Robin Dunitz, the exhibit will feature approximately 30 color photos of local murals, primarily from her and Jim Prigoff's new book, “Walls of Heritage, Walls of Pride: African American Murals.” Teachers interested in organizing school field trips to the exhibit are encouraged to contact Robin.

William Grant Still Arts Center is located at 2520 South West View St. in Los Angeles (just east of Adams Blvd. and La Brea Ave.). The exhibit's opening day coincides with the 10th annual celebration of Juneteenth, an African American holiday that originated in Texas in 1865. For more information, contact Robin at 818 763-1825.


FRANK ROMERO'S REPAINTED "OLYMPIC" MURAL, SPRING, 2001

Frank Romero, “Going to the Olympics,” Hollywood (101) Freeway at Los Angeles St., downtown Los Angeles.
Photos: Frank Romero



View from across the freeway of the initial
phase of the repainting of this mural,
which was painted over by Caltrans in 1999.


View at groun level of the initial
phase of the repainting of this mural,
which was painted over by Caltrans in 1999.


MURALS PROTECTED BY
 MCLA'S MURAL RESCUE PROGRAM

Mark Bowerman, "Running", Hollywood Freeway at the Western Ave. bus turnout.
East Los Streetscapers, "El Corrido de Boyle Heights", East L.A. at Soto St. and Brooklyn Ave.
Kent Twitchell, "Seventh Street Altarpiece: Jim Morphesis", Harbor Freeway, 7th St. underpass.
Kent Twitchell, "Seventh Street Altarpiece: Lita Albuquerque", Harbor Freeway, 7th St. underpass.
Chicana Center Artists, "Tree of Knowledge", East L.A. at Brooklyn and Hazard.
Frank Romero, "Going to the Olympics", Hollywood Freeway west of Alameda St. underpass.
Alonzo Davis, "Eye on '84", Harbor Freeway, at 3rd St. ramp.
Margaret Garcia, "Two Blue Whales", Venice at 12901 Venice Bl.
David Botello, "Read Between the Lines", East L.A. at Olympic Blvd. and Ford.
Kent Twitchell, "Strother Martin", East Hollywood at Kingsley Dr. and Fountain Ave.
Noa Bornstein, "Magritte in Los Angeles", Inglewood at Imperial Hwy and La Cienega Blvd.
Judith von Euer, "Flow Inversion", 100 N. Fremont, east facing outer wall of the Harbor Freeway at First St.
Annie Sperling, "Mural for Peace", Silverlake at Hyperion St. and Sunset Blvd.
Russell Carlton, "Heavenly Garden of Knowlege", Santa Monica Freeway west of the National Blvd. exit.
Thomas Suriya, "You Are the Star", downtown Hollywood on Wilcox, south of Hollywood Blvd.
John Wehrle, "Galileo, Jupiter, Apollo", downtown L.A., on the Hollywood Freeway slot, at Spring St.
Rip Cronk, "Venice Reconstituted", Venice, 25 Windward Ave.
Mario Torero, Rocky, El Lton and Zade, "We Are Not a Minority", East L.A. at 3217 E. Olympic Blvd.
Wayne Healy, "Ghosts of the Barrio", Ramona Gardens, East L.A. at Building 2731-37 Lancaster Ave. near Murchison.
Rueben Brucelyn, “Eyes”, Glendale Blvd. at the Sunset Blvd. underpass, Echo Park.
Ernesto de la Loza, “Ressurection of the Green Planet”, Boyle Heights, 2242 Avenida Cesar Chavez (at Breed St.).

MCLA'S MURAL RESCUE PROGRAM

If you are an artist who has created a public mural, or if you know and love a public mural that needs protection, the Mural Rescue Program provides important services for a select group of murals based on the following criteria:
• Aesthetic merit • Geographic and cultural diversity
• Feasibility • Public Access
To order an application call or write the Mural Conservancy:
(818) 487-0416, PO Box 5483, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-5483

Or, print out a form directly from our Web site: http://www.lamurals.org