Civic Engagement Project- Mark Anthony Alquiza

The site I chose for the civic engagement project is located in my neighborhood of Koreatown, in the Wilshire Center area, because it is local and roughly 2-3 blocks away. This area holds a special significance for me because I grew up around it my whole life. I found it interesting because, despite passing by this place over the years, I didn’t fully understand who or what was being depicted until this project. I felt a strong resonance with this for the people of this neighborhood, as a reminder of their roots back in El Salvador and their connection to the people of Los Angeles.

A painted house with a fence AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Artist: Kardona Art

Title: Mi Pueblo

Date: November 2015

Location: El Chavocho, 4273 Beverly Blvd

Theme: Festive street market: musicians, vendors, families, parrots, colonial church in distance, volcano; pastel house fronts; woven goods and produce

Who is represented: The people of Izalco, El Salvador

Materials: Acrylic paint

In this piece, the people of Izalco, El Salvador, are being represented in the public realm. Every day life of them in their homeland, in street markets, families working together, music being played, and landmarks that signify their home. This piece evokes nostalgia for many Central Americans who have Southern California as their home, creating a tie between home and here. Letting the idea of their upbringing of working-class dignity and cultural memory shape the community around them.

This piece, in my opinion, works well as it celebrates everyday labor, highlighting vendors, musicians, and parents, creating the sense that these individuals are the backbone of what makes a local community. Then the homage back home, the motifs of the volcano and the church.

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Artist: Hector Ponce

Title: Los Angeles de Juan Gabriel or Juan Gabriel’s Angels

Date: 2002

Location: Corner of Oakwood and Western Ave.

Who is represented: Juan Gabriel

Sponsor: Jaime Garcia, director of Juan Gabriel’s fan club “Noa Noa”

In this piece, the late Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel is represented in the public realm. Shows Juan Gabriel next to 10 children, hinting at the humanitarian aid he gave to many children, and in opposition to the ideas of those who saw him as an excessive person who promoted queer sexual tendencies. Even the artist, himself, Hector Ponce, stated, “Many people criticized him, but they never saw him doing anything wrong; and those same people loved his musical material, because even though they said they didn’t like what he sang, they unknowingly listened to the compositions and arrangements he made for other singers.” This piece embodies solidarity with the idea that someone with different ideas and preferences can still do good in the world, especially for younger generations.

This piece works well in my opinion because it not only celebrates Juan Gabriel but the idea of no matter of your sexual preferences and ideas, one can do good in this world and having this piece being made in 2002, is interesting because not that many people were comfortable with these ideas. It challenged the minds of many to think in a different way and approach one another.
         What to change and add within my community is broadening representation through murals that represent the histories of Korean, Oaxacan, Salvadoran, Filipino, and Black communities in Central LA. Then, update gender portrayals by portraying women and gender-diverse individuals as business owners, artists, and professionals to empower others within the community. To build on the other ideas, make the work more accessible to others by adding bilingual plaques with information and possibly including QR codes for audio listening. Then, community engagement enables local students to contribute to the ideas surrounding it. I just wanted to reiterate that we should create murals based on the diversity around us to be proud of the diversity in our communities throughout Los Angeles.

La Great Streets. Tumblr. (n.d.). https://lagreatstreets.tumblr.com/search/Art%20seen:%20A%20Mexican%20Icon%20in%20Koreatown

Los Angeles Times. (2016, August 30). Héctor Ponce fue el muralista informal de Juan Gabriel en Los ángeles. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/espanol/entretenimiento/articulo/2016-08-30/hoyla-art-mus-hector-ponce-fue-el-muralista-informal-de-juan-gabriel-en-los-angeles

 

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