An Argument for The Preservation of Cultural Murals
Why cultural murals are significant among ethnic groups from the dominant culture in the United States? A plea of compassion for the preservation of our Indigenous Murals, which are more than exquisite aesthetically appealing artwork; it serves to give dignity and pride to an enriched culture of historical value, of inhabitants & education.
Mural location, Soto and Cesar Chavez St.
The artist is from East Los Angeles, the image is that of encouragement and resilience, The man in this mural is breaking the walls of oppression with words of strength and courage, against all odds there is the natural phenomenon of life that can not be denied as stated “Even concrete walls cannot stop the beauty of life”
Historical Mural Facts
Murals have been around since the inception of mankind's existence. Depicting the social events of life. The visual vivid colors add vitality to the community. The unified society is surrounded by these precious landmarks that offer engagement, solidarity, and acknowledgment of culture, as explained by McEvoy (2015) from the article Mural the History and the meaning. When referencing the Mexican culture and muralism particularly, “the art of muralism flourished during the 1920s, after the Mexican revolution.” The author goes on to say, “The Mexican mural art inspired the creation of many other similar movements around the world, the biggest being the Chicano art movement in the 1960s” (McEvoy, 2015). Murals are the evolution of “Fresco painting” which is one of the oldest methods of painting in walls and ceilings.
Struggle to Preserve
In San Diego, since April 22, 1970, the Logan community has been met with deception, unscrupulous political conmen using a systematic racial machine of oppression, to socially construct, a ubiquitous pattern of environment warfare against Indigenous communities. The government strategically, methodically, and demonically planned in destroying the community by reconstructing it to implement a hazardous freeway- 1-5 ramp at the expense of human health, using it as a “Sacrifice Zone'' link https://mitpress.mit.edu › books › sacrifice-zones and lives of many of the Logan residents who are the natural Indigenous Mexican descendants displacing them like a worn-out shoe with no respect for human life.
This very valiant community, unified as one in a movement to protect Logan Park which was at risk of being destroyed. The Superheroes Artist like Armando Nuñez, Guillermo Aranda, Salvador Barajas, Victor Ochoa, Guillermo Rosette, Arturo Romano, and Ernesto Paul who were the OG’s Leaders and responsible for these captivating, magnificent, beautiful work of art so rich with detail and historical monumental facts of the identity of a culture. Recently, after so much discourse between the community and Caltrans, who was once the enemy, according to Manson, (2012.) who writes in his article Original Artists Work to Restore Chicano Park Murals, funds finally became available in 2011, for an estimated $1.6 million in state grant to pay for the restoration costs.
Artist Guillermo Aranda, see article Original Artists Work to Restore Chicano Park Murals by Bill Manson
Legislation
The Chicano Park Preservation Act of 2019 was introduced by Congressman Juan Vargas, this bill (Garske,2019.) The Chicano Park is eligible for federal protections and aid. The aid would be used to continue preserving the site, which sits beneath the Coronado Bay Bridge, about 4.5 miles southeast of downtown San Diego. (Chicano Park in the National Park System.) This would help preserve the beautiful artwork that would otherwise be just another boring slab of grey concrete as a regular park with no life or energy. Instead, there is an entrancing marvel of finely detailed artwork that makes the atmosphere come alive.
Gentrification
Welcoming new communities to historically Mexican populated communities brings inclusion, new business, new friends & new custom. Resentment and disdain occur when communities who have been residents for years and now have grandchildren being raised in the same communities begin to see their community be erased and discarded. Understanding that evolution is part of the human process in order to evolve and make change new creativity is developed and inserted but is there and should there be room for the new as well as the old? And is it old or are they historical monuments paying tribute to the people that rise from dawn to dusk, who work the landscape to beautify and working to harvest the land with their bare hands, where their livelihood is created? Should we have the right to be represented? Have we earned our right as a culture to be recognized and have our cultural murals as landmarks of treasure for our communities?
Erasing our Existence
Replacing murals with new murals is a welcomed consensus among ethnic communities. It is always a pleasant surprise to see a new beautifully executed treasure of image, erasing murals and not replacing them is very difficult to accept. After being presented with such a masterpiece to have them removed, void of vision is cruel and unfair. There should be space for all art to flourish and remain as staples of our communities, please reconsider our value to society.
As of 2020, the mural has gradually been erased, this is the result.
Our murals are more than paintings, they are our identity to our roots and culture embedded in this land before the formation of the United States, illustrating harmony of nature and man equally embodied in existences of sexuality, love, struggle, the cosmos, intersectionalities of life’s oppressions, resilience and dignity of culture.
Mural location, East Los Angeles on 5th and Rowan St.
Rodolfo is a proud Indigenous Mexican Resident, who when asked
what his opinion is on murals his response “I cherish the beauty of
the cultural murals that represent my being” a resident and native of
California.
Our Elders exemplify the beauty and the struggle of the culture
Mural location, East Los Angeles on Soto and Cesar Chavez St.
Resident, of California when ask, what is the significant
of cultural mural's he replied “It represents the culture, I am the
Culture”
Our beautiful Indigenous Mexican youth speak out, Suzanne Indigenous native to California
when asked what the murals mean to her she said “There are nice and I admire them”
Mural location, East Los Angeles, near Salazar Park.
This mural was unfortunately erased, but I was able to capture the beauty of the Indigenous woman.
Alfredo Indigenous youth resident from Cali when asked what he thoughts on Indigenous
murals are he said “It represents peace & love” A beautiful sentiment when summarizing our Indigenous murals.
I could continue arguing for the preservation of cultural murals, but I hope the evidence speaks for itself. Enjoy!!!! #helpsaveIndigenousmurals
Mural location, East Los Angeles near the Salazar Park by Whittier Blvd.
Mural location, East Los Angeles near the Salazar Park by Whittier Blvd.
Mural location, East Los Angeles near the Salazar Park by Whittier Blvd.
Mural location, East Los Angeles near the Salazar Park by Whittier Blvd.
Mural location, East Los Angeles by Soto St.
Mural location, East Los Angeles near the Salazar Park by Whittier Blvd.
Both murals are located in East Los Angeles by Whittier Blvd and Atlantic Blvd.
Mural location in East Los Angeles by Ford Street.
Mural location in East Los Angeles on 1st and Rowan st.
Mural location in East Los Angeles on Soto St. near ELAC community College.
Mural location, East Los Angeles by Cesar Chavez St.
Mural location, East Los Angeles by Cesar Chavez St.
Mural location, East Los Angeles on Whittier Blvd.
In every Indigenous mural, the hummingbird is represented, symbolic of our Indigenous culture, the hummingbird is described as; joyous, fun, colorful, happy….
Reference
Congressman Juan Vargas Pushes Bill to Include Chicano Park in National Park System, Congressman Juan Vargas has long worked to preserve the colorful, mural-filled cultural landmark that sits in San Diego’s Barrio Logan community, at the base of the Coronado Bay Bridge By Monica Garske • Published November 1, 2019• Updated on November 2, 2019. at 10:59 pm.
Original Artists Work to Restore Chicano Park Murals | San... Work to Restore Chicano Park Murals. Author. Bill Manson. Publish Date. July 4, 2012. Chicano Park muralists regroup to refresh their 40-year-old works.
You visited this page on 4/8/21. https://www.sandiegoreader.com › news › 2012 › July
Latino/Latin American Muralism and Social Change: A Reflection on the Social Significance of the Cold Spring Mural Shannon McEvoy College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, shmcevoy@csbsju.edu
Sacrifice Zones The Front Lines of Toxic Chemical Exposure in the United StatesBy Steve Lerner Foreword by Phil Brown The stories of residents of low-income communities across the country who took action when pollution from heavy industry contaminated their towns. Sacrifice Zones | The MIT Press https://mitpress.mit.edu › books › sacrifice-zones.
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