City Terrace Public Art - Jimmy Saldivar

 

The Site - City Terrace

It was easy to decide to focus this project on my neighborhood of City Terrace because it has a rich history of Chicano muralism along with other public art. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to live here for the past year and to be able to enjoy the many works of public art that exist in such a small area. The neighborhood is confined within Cesar Chavez Ave to the South and the 10 Freeway in the north, between Soto St to the west and the 710 Freeway in the east. There are some historic public works that date as far back as the early 1970's along with some new ones that were just created this year. The iconic Chicano art collective ASCO has produced some public art works in the neighborhood since the 70's and a core member of the group Willie Herron still lives here. If I included every public work of art in the neighborhood it would take me too much time and research effort, so I have included my favorites. 

Field Work

"The Wall That Cracked Open" 1972

Willie Herron 

Enamel and Acrylic

25' x 15'

4125 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

I wanted to start this project with this wall because it is one of the earliest and most iconic murals of the neighborhood. It was painted by Willie Herron of the art collective ASCO and has withstood a lot of vandalism and restoration since 1972 when it was first painted. It is a masterpiece of Chicano muralism that depicts the frustration and suffering of Latino peoples who deal with poverty, gang violence, and exploitation in America. 

"The Plumed Serpent" 1972, restored 2010

Willie Herron

1410 Miller Ave, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This work was also painted by Willie Herron in 1972 and is partially painted over. It was restored in 2010 with financial support from Gloria Molina, District 1 Supervisor, as indicated by a painted note on the mural. 

"La Doliente de Hidalgo" 1976

Willie Herron

4101 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This mural was also painted by Herron in 1976 and it depicts Miguel Hidalgo who was a key figure of the Mexican Independence Movement and therefore represents the struggle for liberation. When Herron painted the mural, the business was Farmacia Hidalgo, a pharmacy. Now it is a neighborhood market. A previous owner of the building had allowed Herron to paint the feathered serpent in the back alley wall first, and a new owner liked it so much that he asked Herron to paint the front with any design as long as it included Miguel Hidalgo. 

"La Doliente de Hidalgo" 1976

Willie Herron

4101 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

King's Market Liquor 2025

Jawsh

Aerosol

4253 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This is a recent spray paint or aerosol mural painted by local artist Jawsh also known as Jawsher. Before he painted this wall, it was constantly getting tagged and now that this new art is up, there isn't any tagging on it at all. The neighborhood really respects good street art and this new work shows the power that muralism has to deter gang related graffiti, especially when the imagery of the mural is spiritual or ancestral Chicano imagery. 

King's Market Liquor 2025

Jawsh

Aerosol

4253 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

Title and date unknown

Artists unknown

I don't know who painted this old faded mural or when it was made, but I decided to include a photo of it anyway to show that there are many works that have been neglected, painted over, and sun bleached throughout the years in the neighborhood. The content of these walls and the buildings themselves have changed a lot through the decades. 

"El Tepeyac de Los Angeles" 1993

George Yepes

Acrylic

Saint Lucy's Catholic Church, 3945 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This is my favorite mural in the neighborhood because of its drama, packed composition, and beautiful colors. It was damaged in 2020 when a bus crashed into the church. The damage has been repaired and the mural has since been restored to its original quality. 

"El Tepeyac de Los Angeles" 1993

George Yepes

Acrylic

Saint Lucy's Catholic Church, 3945 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

"Justicia Para Vanessa Guillen y Todas Las Mujeres", 2020

Juan Solis

4100 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This beautiful mural features Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier who was reported missing, and then was confirmed to have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. The title of the mural calls for justice for Guillen and for all women who fall victim to domestic and institutional violence. 

Title Unknown, 2025

Noe and Saul Viramontes

4100 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This is the newest mural in the group that I have documented for this project. It was completed in mid October just a few weeks ago. It features the legendary Mexican singer and actor Antonio Aguilar. The mural shows a list of financial donors to the project. 

Title Unknown, 2017

Katbing 

4118 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This cute painting of Charlie Brown in the middle of a heart shape created by purple hands seems to be signed by "Katbing" and dated 2017. Beyond that, I don't really know anything more about the work other than I love it and I'm sure it brings a lot of joy to my neighbors who see it every day. I can imagine that the fact that this work is here deters people tagging on this wall. 

"Ofrenda Maya", 1978, restored 2009

Goez Art Studio

Ceramic tile

City Terrace Library, 4025 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This work features Mayan imagery and it's the only one in ceramic tile work that I know of in the neighborhood. It was restored in 2009 funded by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. 

Coyolxauhqui, 1985

Carlos Venegas

4108 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

This sculptural public work features the Mexica, also known as Aztec, goddess Coyolxauhqui. This sculpture shows the interest that Chicanos took in indigeneity in their effort to understand their identity as people of Mexican descent living in the United States. The work is painted in bright colors and it has a mirror that reflects the name of the artist and the name of the deity depicted. 

Coyolxauhqui, 1985

Carlos Venegas

4108 City Terrace Drive, Los Angeles, Ca. 90063

I couldn't find any information about the leaf and branch/ vine pattern that can be seen all over the streets of this neighborhood. It's seen in alleys, freeway on and off ramps, freeway overpasses, and other available wall spaces throughout the area. I'm not sure who painted this pattern but I love the way that they can be seen all over City Terrace, and they seem to be an effective way to deter tagging. My research for this project didn't provide me any leads regarding who painted this or when or why, but I hope to find out eventually. 

In documenting this pattern, I can see that it definitely helped to discourage tagging. I think that the pattern with its branches and leaves would render tagging illegible, so people rarely tag over the pattern unless there is a painted patch over which they can tag over, as seen in this photo of the pattern in an alley. 

This photo comes from the wall of the parking lot of Saint Lucy's Church where the George Yepes Mural is. 

Critical Analysis

My neighborhood of City Terrace has a long history involving the Chicano Movement and Chicano art, and so a lot of the street art in the area represents Latin American people and our lived experiences. A lot of the art does represent Mexican American culture specifically mostly, but there is also art that represents Central American culture and themes relevant to people from Latin America as well. The public art of the area carries a spirit of activism and the struggle for social justice. Ultimately the art of the neighborhood reflects the people that make up the community and their struggles and joys through the decades. Though many works are serious and political, they are also beautiful and hopeful. All of this public art reflects a community that is resilient, creative, and proud of their culture in the midst of adversity. 

Proposal

I was really happy to see and learn that many of these public works that are older have undergone restoration efforts that have been funded both publicly and privately. In many cases the city of Los Angeles has allocated funds to restore some works after decades of weathering. If I could make a proposal to the city of LA for my neighborhood, it would be to allocate some funding to maintain the leaf and branch design that is seen throughout the neighborhood. The pattern seems to have been around for a long time and it creates a sense of identity and place for residents of the area. It also seems to be a good strategy to deter tagging. There has been some vandalism over some parts of these painted patterns, but the repair tends to be a block of grey over which taggers return to paint. If the pattern would be restored as the pattern and not a block of paint, then I believe that tagging would be deterred and the neighborhood would remain beautiful. This effort to maintain the painted leaf and branch pattern could even possibly be with local middle or high school art classes.