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.

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.