Originally published in MisNeighbors.com
Less than two weeks after the release of a draft for a new mural ordinance that would give muralists an avenue to legally paint the walls on private commercial property, artists Raul Gonzalez and Carlos Callejo began working on a mural on the corner of First Street and Cummings Avenue outside Libros Schmibros Lending Library and Bookstore.
The new draft language aims to identify murals as “original works of art” rather than signs after the city’s 2002 sign ordinance banned murals on private property.
As the mural ban has disrupted the rich public arts culture in Boyle Heights, the draft mural ordinance has brought hope of a mural revival. Gonzalez, one of the few artists that continued painting murals on private property despite the ban, is at the forefront of this mural resurgence in Boyle Heights along with other artists, including many affiliated with Self Help Graphics and Art.
“I think that the pieces getting buffed made me want to paint more,” Gonzalez said. “I’m not attached to them. But as an artist, I want to create that message for the community.”
Councilman Jose Huizar, art preservationists, including Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, and muralists were on hand at the press conference for the unveiling of the draft mural ordinance on Dec. 7 at Self Help Graphics and Art in Boyle Heights.
Veteran artist Wayne Healy said he sees the same passion his generation had in painting murals today’s generation. “I look forward to another blossoming of murals in the barrio,” he said at the press conference. His place, Healy said, is to help the younger muralists’ work flourish in the community again.
Read the full story at misneighbors.com
