Boyle Heights Public Art - Faye Tuvshintugs

The Site: 

I chose Boyle Heights for this project because I've been spending more time in the area lately. I'm learning Spanish and my girlfriend is Mexican so I've been exploring the neighborhood more. The food scene is great and there's a lot of interesting cultural history here. I noticed there's a ton of public art around and it seemed like a good place to do this project since I'm already familiar with the area and can easily visit multiple times to document everything properly.

Field Work: 

Location: Moctezuma Cafe, E Cesar Chavez Ave & Bernal Ave

Artist: Manuel Cruz

Theme: Aztec heritage, indigenous roots

Represented: Moctezuma II, connecting residents to precolonial indigenous history

Materials: Paint 

Inscriptions: “Moctezuma” 

Location: Ray & Roy's Market, 4th St & Camulos St

Painting Title: Empowerment

Artist: Isabel Peinado

Theme: Celebrating inspirational women across cultures

Represented: 16 women including Dolores Huerta, Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Malala Yousafzai, Selena Quintanilla Pérez, Ellen DeGeneres, Virgin of Guadalupe

Materials: Paint

Inscriptions: “To you, with Love Para Ustedes, con Mucho Cariño y con Todo Mi Corazón 8/26/2017 Isabel Peinado”

Sponsors: Family fundraised $2500

Location: Estrada Courts Housing Project, Olympic Blvd

Artist: Resident artists 

Theme: Community unity, cultural pride

Represented: Multi generational families holding hands across rainbow

Materials: Paint 

Location: Olympic Blvd near Grande Vista Ave, Estrada Courts

Artist: Mario Torero, Zopilote, Rocky and others (Congreso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztlan)

Theme: Political resistance, claiming space and power

Represented: Che Guevara with bold political messaging

Inscriptions: "We are NOT a minority!!!"

Location: Mariachi Plaza, 1831 E 1st St at Boyle Ave

Theme: Honoring female mariachi tradition

Represented: Lucha Reyes 

Materials: Bronze statue

Sponsors: City funded

Critical Analysis: 

Chicano art is used to represent the communities and artists of Boyle Heights. Cultural icons, historical figures and social movements are commonly depicted in public art. Moctezuma is a mural that represents the Aztec emperor who reigned at the time when the Spanish came into the present day Mexico at the beginning of the sixteenth century. This piece has a direct relation to the local history of the indigenous background of most residents in Boyle Heights. The mural “Empowerment" is a symbol of sixteen inspirational women of various backgrounds such as Dolores Huerta, Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai. This is a work by a 15 year old artist who dedicated 600 hours to paint it and earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. The themes in the work are female empowerment and cultural diversity. The Estrada Courts mural shows families holding hands in a rainbow which signifies unity and pride in the community. The work belongs to a bigger set of 80 murals painted by the inhabitants of the housing project in the 1970s. The mural “We Are Not a Minority” is a political message concerning displacement and gentrification in the neighbourhood. The message of the residents to remain is presented through the image of Che Guevara and a bold text. The Lucha Reyes statue symbolizes the “Queen of Ranchera”, the pioneer Mexican singer in the 1930s and 1940s who toured Los Angeles. This monument is significant as it pays tribute to a woman in the traditionally male dominated mariachi culture.

Proposal: 

The thing I like about the Boyle Heights community is the messages embedded in the artwork. The pieces are all quite meaningful in terms of cultural identity and resistance. The efforts of the artists is also something that amazes me. For example, the 15 year old who spent her whole summer painting and the residents who have upheld the mural tradition for decades. Most of the murals are very important historically and the art has influenced the community significantly. One of the aspects that I find difficult about this is related to the permit requirements and the absence of representation of previous immigrant histories. The city mandates paid permits of the murals and this presents obstacles to community residents wishing to engage in art within the legal framework. I would suggest that there should be no permit fee or minimal permit fees on community based projects to allow more people to take part in the production of public art. The next thing that I would suggest is that a public arts program should be established so that the complete immigrant history of Boyle Heights is recorded including that of Jewish and Japanese Americans who were residing there long before. This would serve to demonstrate that displacement is a repetitive trend that has happened to various groups over the years. Another thing that I would recommend is the creation of designated areas in which residents can create political or community expression without the delays associated with long approval procedures. The public art of Boyle Heights is an amazing means of sharing the history of this community and every piece of art bears a significant story that needs to be preserved and honored.