Last week, I got the opportunity to work with the Crenshaw Imperial Plaza to create a street mural that spelled out "COMMUNITY". I'm actually not sure how they came to that decision, but when I was brought on, it was clear they wanted something in the spirit of the letters that have been recently used to spell out BLACK LIVES MATTER. While we were painting, a lot of the people that came by kept asking what we were spelling out. Many of them were expecting a BLM mural like they'd seen on the news, but were mildy surprised that we were doing something different. At least one person replied with "Good!" I didn't know their motivation, but I thought it was amusing.
This kind of project was a new one for me. Being out in the hot sun on hot concrete and sniffing industrial-grade paint was new for me. My legs and back were hurting from trying to navigate the proper stance to lay down the art. At some point, I had thoughts about what Michelangelo must felt creating the Sistene chapel ceiling. Of course, that was on another level. This must have a been a laugh to someone like that. New respect for public art.
Out of three artists, I was responsible for the 'COM' portion, Artist Marie Jose did the 'MUN' and Vanessa Rivera came through with the 'ITY'. You can find their links at the bottom of the post. If you're in the region, be sure you check it out.
Marie Jose - www.mariejose-art.com/shop
Vanessa Rivera - https//linktr.ee/vjrivera
- Mr Benja -
