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DOWNTOWN FREEWAY MURALS HURT BY RECENT GRAFFITI SPREE,
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 Glenna Boltuch Avila, "L.A. Freeway Kids," Hollywood (101) Freeway at Los Angeles Street. Detail showing recent spate of graffiti marring a number of downtown freeway murals. |
In recent months a number of top murals ringing the downtown L.A. freeway system have been tagged repeatedly. While some are protected under the Mural Rescue Program (MRP), not all of these have been protected with sacrificial coating. Three MRP murals in the area, Frank Romero's "Going to the Olympics," Glenna Boltuch Avila's "L.A. Freeway Kids," and John Wehrle's "Galileo, Jupiter, Apollo" have no sacrificial coating. Each poses special conservation problems that MCLA is currently evaluating as plans are made for restoration.
In addition, Kent Twitchell's diptych mural, "Seventh Street Altarpiece," was about to be seriously damaged by earthquake retrofitting working being conducted by CalTrans when MCLA intervened during March to call it to the attention of the agency. They responded quickly with a contract enabling conservator Nathan Zakheim to protect both murals [please see the accompanying article, below, by Zakheim--Ed.]. Still, there was some relatively minor damage sustained by both murals during the early phase of the retrofitting work. Also, fill-in work on two of the walls separating the images curb both their visibility and aesthetic impact. In addition, going back two years, Roderick Sykes "Unity," also on the Harbor (110) Freeway at Adams, was destroyed in the course of previous retrofitting work by CalTrans. Attorney and Board Member Richard Solomon has made efforts to lay the groundwork for CalTrans to eventually commission Sykes to recreate the mural in a new location.
These factors add up to a crisis that threatens the city's single most visible concentration of murals since the bulk of them were created during the Olympic year of 1984.
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THE MURAL DOCTOR: Nathan Zakheim
SAVING THE "SEVENTH STREET ALTARPIECE" |
 Kent Twitchell, "Jim Morphesis," east wall portion of "Seventh Street Altarpiece," located at the Harbor (110) Freeway at Seventh Street, 1984. |
Who has not seen the murals of Lita Albuquerque and Jim Morphesis facing from across the Habor (110) Freeway, signaling each other silently but with the intense sensitivity that artists share? The "Seventh Street Altarpiece," one of Kent Twitchell's top works, exemplifies the potential of site specific mural art. It offers a sense that, in spite of the flickering drive-by perception of the two faces framed by upheld hands that are now separated by two concrete walls apparently barring all communication, that hope does indeed exist.
This is the product of our earthquake abatement people at CalTrans, who recently began to fill in the rows of columns between the freeway lanes that created an amazing "Doppler Effect" between the two faces. Now you can barely see Morphesis' visage, which is hidden behind a wall that blocks the view from across a single bus-only lane. He is trapped in something of a dark cave.
I came upon the scene of the threatening activity driving casually by. When I saw the Big Machines and the many cuts, gouges and scrapes on the surface of the murals I pulled over and screeched "Whattheheckisgoingonhere?" at the astonished workmen in aluminum hard hats.
I learned that concrete was soon to be poured--which would certainly splash all over the mural surface, as one worker volunteered--and that no one had considered the mural as something to worry about during the retrofitting of the overpass.
A series of telephone calls from MCLA President Bill Lasarow and attorney Richard Solomon resulted in a concerned response from CalTrans. A contract was quickly patched together and approved by the agency to protect the two faces in place. MCLA has also made efforts to address the question of relocating the mural to a new location where both its visiblity and aesthetic impact will be reinstated, calling on assistance in doing so from several local and state officials. While this additional step would require a separate contract, I meantime oversaw completion of the work's protection during the course of retrofitting. Several layers of non-woven fabric were placed over the two heads to act as a protective facing. The top layer is comprised of a waterproof membrane that will ward off splashing concrete as well as penetrating spray can paint.
Though currently covered with extensive graffiti, this will wash off easily enough as both walls are protected with sacrificial coating. After work has been completed and the fabric is removed the limited damage to each can be repaired. After de-waxing them temporarily, a coating of Acryloid B-72 applied to the surface will protect and consolidate the paint.
If relocation of the murals can be arranged the facing material now in place will facilitate removal using the "Strappo Method." The fabric protects the skin of paint while pressure is applied to pulverize its bond to the concrete walls. The murals are then peeled from the wall and rolled into large tubes for transport.
The backs are cleaned, then reinforced with a new fabric and acrylic gel backing. Still covered by the facing, the murals can then be remounted at a new location using acrylic gel as adhesive. The covering fabrics can now be removed so that the murals can be cleaned, repaired and inpainted, re-varnished and finally coated once more with the protective sacrificial wax.
It cannot be assumed that any new location will completely reproduce the conditions and effects of the old one. But MCLA, working with artist Twitchell, has determined optional locations that are not scheduled for earthquake retrofitting that would be better than the current location under the new conditions. Whether it will be possible to realize this in the immediate future cannot be said at this writing.
Published quarterly, © 1997, Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA).
Editor: Bill Lasarow
Contributing Editors:
Robin Dunitz, Orville O. Clarke, Jr., Richard Solomon, Nathan Zakheim
Masthead Logo Design: Charles Eley.
The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles was formed to help protect and document murals, and enhance public awareness of mural art in the greater Los Angeles area. These programs are made possible by the tax-deducible dues and donations of our members, the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the California Arts Council, the National/State/County Partnership Program, and the Brody Fund of the California Community Foundation.
