Return to top of Newsletter

In painting a public mural this past summer in Billings, Montana, potential vandalism became an immediate issue. The mural was in the "other side of the tracks" part of town. A lot of disadvantaged and/or trouble-making kids lived in the area. And the mural was in a public park on the side of the building for a community swimming pool. A lot of the neighborhood kids came to the pool in the summertime, and some groups (dare I say gangs?) had apparently claimed part of the park as their turf.

At about the midpoint in the project, the mural was vandalized by scratching several parts of it, and it became apparent that a serious anti-graffiti coating would probably be a very good idea--there was a certain amount of resentment in some people about this outside project being done in "their" park. But in Montana, what sort of resources are available? Probably not many, it seemed. This was the first serious mural ever in Billings (the largest city in Montana at 175,000 souls), and there was little or no knowledge about mural techniques and procedures.

We (the committee, City and I) decided that a strong, permanent anti-graffiti coating was probably our only alternative available. But the anti-graffiti product company whose literature I had brought with me from California apparently had closed down, as I was unable to contact them. Someone locally suggested that I go to Sherwin-Williams and see what they had available.

What I found out was that they have a couple of really excellent choices available to anyone who is interested. They carry "ARMAGLAZE 9000," a permanent, polyurethane coating. MCLA mural conservation expert Nathan Zakheim has described the perils of polyurethane coatings over long periods of time (they eventually degrade, discolor, shrink and crack under harsh conditions), but we saw no other alternative. But we did find that the product is warranteed for 120 months (10 years) and also has "high level of resistance" to ultraviolet light, the primary culprit in the degrading of these coatings. Also, upon application I found that it substantially enhanced the colors in the mural, making them richer and brighter than before coating. We figured that ten years of protection in a dangerous situation was better than nothing, even if the mural started to self-destruct at the end of that time.

I also found that Sherwin-Williams now carries "Graffiti Melt" from Genesis Coatings. This is the same wax-based sacrificial coating used by the Mural Conservancy in its Mural Rescue program, by SPARC, and by several local private anti-graffiti companies here in Los Angeles. The clear wax coating is sprayed over the mural, and if it requires graffiti removal the coating melts off with a hot water pressure washer much like the spray wands in a do-it-yourself carwash, taking the offending graffiti with it; a fresh coating of wax is then sprayed over the cleaned area.

For the Mural Conservancy, this service is provided by a company which contracts to maintain the wall for a certain fixed fee per month or per year. All that is required is to call them when a mural is hit, and they come out and clean it and reapply the coating all in one trip. But in places outside of big cities, this service is usually not available-until now.

To my surprise, Sherwin-Williams supplied me with complete technical specifications from the manufacturer, as well as instructions in wall preparation, application, graffiti removal and reapplication of the coating. The instructions even describe what sort of sprayers to use, what water pressure, and a suggested method of spraying for maximum effectiveness.

This is great news! Now anyone, almost anywhere in the U.S.A., can obtain and maintain the sacrificial anti-graffiti coating our experience has shown to be the most effective. Cities, or other similar entities, who already possess the necessary spray equipment can easily set up a maintenance procedure for any and all murals they are responsible for, and do the work on an as-necessary basis, no longer having to contract with an outside company to provide the service.

OTHER NEWS:

During a recent conversation with the owner of Nova Color, the acrylic paint manufacturer in Culver City, he stated that he is working to develop an ultraviolet shield for acrylic paints. Conservator Nathan Zakheim has stated that ultraviolet light is the main culprit in the degrading of acrylic mural paints, and he recommends applying a coating over murals to protect them from these "deadly" UV rays. It would be a wonderful thing if the UV shield could be incorporated into the painting process or even the final varnish with any mural. I'll pass along word on this as I hear of it.

From l. to r., Robin Dunitz, Norma Wrege, Mark Bowerman, Arthur Mortimer, MCLA Board members who led March's Mural Activist Workshop.

A group of fifteen new mural activists attended MCLA's first annual Mural Activist Workshop on March 22nd at the Roxbury Park Community Center. The Saturday morning session featured presentations by a group of six MCLA Board members giving the group an inside view of the nuts and bolts of the Mural Rescue Program (Mark Bowerman and Arthur Mortimer), Mural Tours (Robin Dunitz), Fundraising (Richard Solomon), Technical Workbook (Norma Wrege), and the Newsletter and Web Site (Bill Lasarow). Michelle Isenberg served as moderator.

Breaking up into small focus groups after the presentations, many of these new activists listened to and discussed with the Board members how they will best be able to help further the mission of MCLA.

The postponed Artsathon arts telethon that was originally announced to broadcast Presidents' Day weekend has finally put its legal paperwork in order, and is now on track to produce the event on Veteran's Day, November 10th. Look for more details in the next Newsletter.