Saturday, March 31, 2001

Wednesday, April 4, 2001

Limit: 47 people

This tour is not entirely wheelchair accessible

Los Angeles has been called the Mural Capital of the United States. Murals express self-definition to people and neighborhoods whose voices are too seldom heard in our major arts venues. This tour, conducted by the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, will visit two distinctive locales: East L.A. and South L.A.

East Los Angeles is home to hundreds of vibrant images of Chicano pride and history by established studio artists and "street artists." Chicanos, people born in the U.S. whose families immigrated here from Mexico, have been the principal instigators of mural-making here. Starting in 1969, the struggle of California farmworkers led by Caesar Chavez ignited a powerful Chicano civil rights movement and led to a great flowering of mural-making in East L.A. The East Los Streetscapers, Paul Botello, David Botello, George Yepes, Willie Herron, and Gronk are but some of the well-known Chicano artists whose work is evident. The Estrada Courts, a housing project, is famous for its murals, of which over forty remain. Self-Help Graphics is a community art center famous for its highly regarded studio workshop where visiting artists produce silkscreen prints.

The African-American murals of South L.A. and Watts are an eye-opener for many, as the body of outstanding work in this community isn't well known. There are works by nationally renowned artists such as Charles White, Hale Woodruff, and Charles Alston, as well as more recent works of tremendous beauty and heart. Finally, we will pay a visit to Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers. Perhaps the most famous folk art installation in the world, it resisted the wrecker’s ball to become a creative symbol for this neighborhood, along with its adjoining Arts Center, whose gallery usually shows the work of community artists.