Community Perspective

Apologies for the delay, but in the mean time, please read this fabulous journal entry written by my friend Anna Marcus who is an intern at The Great Wall.

"What started as an ordinary Saturday turned into a feast and later an enlightening experience..."

The Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots

Before I ever went down into the channel, I had the opportunity to tour The Great Wall (GW) with Judy. In this clip, Judy talks about The Zoot Suit Riots, a series of riots that occurred in Los Angeles in 1943 between U.S. military servicemen and Mexican youth.

Restoration

Restoration of The Great Wall - Conditions

Working on a 1/2 mile of wall has been quite a challenge. Last week, the team lost two valuable work days due to the threat of flash flooding in the channel. The team is currently on its eight straight day of painting before the closure of the 405 forces us into a four-day weekend.

Temperatures in the channel are also unpredictable. The last two weeks have been very hot, but the last two days have been cool to fair and overcast. Water flow is also a cause for concern while working in the channel. On Monday, treated drinking water was unexpectedly released into the channel and team members were forced to evacuate until the water returned to a manageable level.

Preparing the Wall

Prior to putting paint on the wall, the surface must be scrubbed clean. For this, we give the wall a traditional bubble bath using soap and water. The wall currently has a spider infestation and spider webs make up the dirt and grime. Once a generous application of soap and water has been added, the wall is power washed with a hose.

Once the wall is dry, the real fun begins. Patches of visible concrete are "patched" with 207, a gloss that will help adhere the paint to the wall. When the 207 dries, the under-painting (a mixture of magenta paint and 206 gloss) is applied. Magenta is being used to insure that the paint has the same values. When I first started working on the wall, I was working on a section that had been entirely magenta'd. Due to sun glare, I suffered mild retinal burn; and this is why it is important to wear the proper tools while working a project of this scale: sunglasses (with grey lenses to avoid color loss while mixing color and painting), sunscreen, long pants and proper boots are a necessity.

Restoration vs. Conservation

Restoration vs. Conservation - what's the difference? Restoration is the act of restoring or reviving something to its former or original condition. Conservation is preserving the loss or keeping something from change. The Great Mural team is in the process of restoring the wall to its original brilliance. New information is also being added to the wall for additional clarity (something that will be discussed in another post).

Additional Posts

In my next post, there will be video from touring The Great Wall and a discussion of the importance of clarity in public art.

Comments and Questions

Comments and questions are always welcome.

Introduction

Introduction

My name is Holly Crawford and I am a volunteer working at the Social and Public Resource Center (SPARC) on The Great Wall of Los Angeles Restoration Project. Prior to my incarnation as a Great Wall volunteer, I lived in Baltimore, Maryland and studied Community Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). It was while I was still at MICA that I met Judy Baca, the visionary artist behind The Great Wall of LA and SPARC's artistic director. Judy had been invited to speak to my class about working as a practicing community artist. Her enthusiasm for the work she was doing and her candor filled me with such enthusiasm that I knew instantly I had to find a way to work with her.

After graduating from MICA, I stayed in Baltimore to teach at an art museum. However, the bean of an idea that had been planted when I met Judy began to sprout and in March, I applied for an internship position at SPARC. Never having worked on a large public art piece like the Great Wall, I thought now (rather than later) would be a good time to learn about mural restoration efforts in Los Angeles. So, on May 31, 2011, I relocated to Los Angeles and in June, I started working at The Great Wall of Los Angeles which is in the process of undergoing a historical restoration with a team of talented artists, assistants, interns and volunteers.

Research

When I was first researching the history of The Great Wall and the LA river, I stumbled across "This Is The LA River" produced by The Echo Park Film Center. This 33 minute documentary shot and edited by young people is a great resource for anyone wishing to know more about the history, function and ecology of the LA river.

Photos and Video

I will try to include as many photographs and video on this blog as possible as part of the documentation process.