Favorite Murals in Boyle Heights by Daeira Brown

   

Favorite Murals in Boyle Heights



 PHASE 1: THE SITE

I chose Boyle Heights because I am an Angeleno, a local resident of a neighboring city called Highland Park. It is easy for me to transport there for a day to take the photos of the works. They have a lot of murals to choose from, especially ones that depict women, which I love. Boyle Heights is simply full of culture and community, and their murals just add to the city’s life. Not only are they vibrant and aesthetically pleasing, but they also focus on social justice issues, which I’m very passionate about.


 PHASE 2: FIELD WORK

  1. “One Family All Kings” mural


Location: Pico / Aliso

Artist: Unknown 

Theme: Mexican heritage, lowrider cars, Dia de Los Muertos skull

Who is represented or excluded: Mexicans are represented, Central Americans are excluded as well as other ethnicities  

Materials: Spray paint and protective coating 

Sponsors: No documentation on sponsors 

Inscriptions (tags, slogans, names, symbols): “One Family All Kings”, LA on the license plates, “Pops, Kosh, Yuke, Gather, Dopes, Jlh”

Community reactions: Communities see it as reclaiming space in opposition to gentrification


2. “Legends Are Forever” mural




Location: Los Angeles Arts District

Artist: Royyal Dog

Theme: Honoring Kobe and his daughter, who both tragically died in a plane crash

Who is represented or excluded: Kobe and Gigi Bryant as well as basketball culture are represented

Materials: Paint, primer, and protective coating

Sponsors: Organic project

Inscriptions: “Legends Are Forever”, Champions hat, Bryant jersey

Community reactions: A place for fans to pay their respects


3. “Morgan the Face” mural




Location: Los Angeles Arts District

Artist: Morgan

Theme: Melancholic

Who is represented or excluded: The man in the portrait is represented

Materials: Paint, primer, and protective coating 

Sponsors: No formal sponsorship

Inscriptions: None

Community reactions: The community displayed curiosity towards the man illustrated


4. “4th Street” mural




Location: Los Angeles Arts District

Artist: Christina Angelina and Fanakapan

Theme: Unity and love for all

Who is represented or excluded: Everybody seems to be represented by the message 

Materials: Paint, primer, and protective coating

Sponsors: No corporate sponsor 

Inscriptions: None

Community reactions: The community saw it as a meaningful representation of intergenerational bonds


5. “Undiscovered America” mural




Location: Los Angeles Arts District

Artist: Earth Crew 2000

Theme: Indigenous culture

Who is represented or excluded: Indigenous Americans are represented, non-native Americans are excluded

Materials: Paint, primer, and protective coating

Sponsors: City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Fairs

Inscriptions: Leopard print, cactus, snakes, fish, Indigenous clothing and symbols 

Community reactions: The community saw it as a symbol of peace and healing


    PHASE 3: CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In Boyle Heights, representation goes to mostly those from Latino backgrounds and Indigenous Americans. There’s also a good representation of Los Angeles sports culture. Finally, there is some art that anyone can identify with, that focuses more on personal identity and aims to be inclusive of all humans. When it comes to most street artworks, there are no formal sponsorships. Most of the art, according to Google, is produced with community effort or solely with the artist and their team.


    PHASE 4: PROPOSAL

I love the amount of Latino pride in the area, as well as the respect for Indigenous cultures, both of which prioritize honoring groups that are often overlooked. There’s a lot of cultivation of endorsing diversity in this area, and it’s fascinating that we are able to interpret that from analyzing the street art alone. We should definitely continue to support these communities. However, I do see that some communities, such as Central Americans, don’t have representation in the street art despite also living in Los Angeles, and there should be more representation for their communities as well. It is understandable that maybe they aren’t as invested in street art culture, but I propose placing murals to celebrate their culture near schools, so that children can learn about and celebrate those communities from a young age, and near busy intersections, so that those passing by recognize and appreciate their culture as well. I would like the murals to be made by Central American artists primarily, and to focus on their traditions and what they want people to know about them, so that their communities feel welcome to be themselves here, and so that their history is more integrated into common knowledge.

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