By Porschia Baker
Special to LBC
Constructing community bridges linking creativity, unity and education, the Westside Mural Project proves reputation alone is not enough to assume you know the Westside of Long Beach: there is always a story painted behind stories.
Located on the Westside of Santa Fe Avenue, on a cement wall between 23rd and 25th Street, the Westside Mural Project, inclusive of students, artist, educators, and young professionals, is gradually painting a mirror reflection of their beautiful community in celebration of the Westside’s cultural diversity, heritage, and community improvement. Supported by the City of Long Beach’s Seventh District Youth Council, Long Beach ARTS Council, Long Beach Police Department, St. Lucy’s Church and some residents, the Mural Project’s goal is to illuminate the area and engage community dialogue, especially with the youth who comprise twenty five percent of the Westside population.
“Basically we want to use the Mural Project as a pretext to organize and educate the youth so they could empower themselves and better understand the living conditions they are in,” said Mark Canto, Mural Project Art Coordinator.
As a resolution to stopping racial tension and violence, the Mural Project budded in 2005 after the murder of two youths. Two years later the Mural Project is still laboring, out of love, to expand its nonprofit project to include educational institutions and garner more residential support, from everybody including the elders. However, expansion has been somewhat curtailed because of the lack of youth involvement.
“I think the problem with the lack of response, from a lot of students, is because their creativity has been hindered so much. I think the reawaking for them is to share their thoughts, ideas, and make it into something concrete by incorporating it into the mural,” said June Kaewsith, Mural Project Coordinator. “I hope to eventually get more students involved so we can find a way to open that creative gateway again, which has been closed off because of institutionalized learning.”
With educational workshops incorporating history and literacy, through the use of visual art knowledge, the Mural Project facilitates discussions, reading and writing, which are crucial to centering the youth around the value of having and being part of the Westside’s diversity, as well having an outlet for creative expression.
“That’s our focus: educating the youth about each other because we go through the same problems no matter what color you are, what creed you are or what religion you are,” said Daniel Salera, Mural Project Coordinator. “We Just have to understand each other.”
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I wonder if the lack of youth involvement has something to with the disinterest of the parents. As well as the same ol’ cliches of culture and diversity. Perhaps they feel a little taken for granted by murals. For some reason in areas that tend to have the most ethnic diversity seem to more murals per square mile than areas of less diversity. To blame institutionalized learning is nothing less than scapegoating. Is the idea to complete a mural or to bring the community together? Do we really need to continue talking about diversity? Aren’t we all so very aware of our diversity? What about our likenesses? our sameness, the things that make us the same. From the basic similarity of our DNA to our wants and desires as well as our needs. We continue to hold up our diversity, which lends to ethnocentric attitudes, and further pulls communities apart. Perhaps a visit to places of worship of the community, by the members of the Westside mural project, would help to begin a relationship that would be critical in understanding what is in the hearts and minds of the people with whom you wish to communicate. Young people are being killed, and the only answer we have as a solution is a mural. Perhaps we should show them we value their lives a little more.
Thanks so much for posting your comment on the LBC Press Room. I agree with you, and wonder what it is that can transcend environment and culture to lead young people to value themselves. I don’t think that the concepts of diversity and unity are mutually exclusive, but it requires a level of understanding to embrace them both simultaneously. Diversity is sometimes used, politically, to create division but, as a pure concept, it isn’t inherently problematic.
Mural projects are an interesting thing, with a long and rich history. They can serve as points of unification for a physical area, especially when individuals in the area participate in its creation. I do believe, though, that the design should be a collaborative process also, not just the production of it. Like all public art, they can be sources of community pride, and inspire residents and property owners to care for their homes and businesses. It can also be an economic engine if it attracts arts tourism.
Is a mural project the magic bullet that will solve all of the Westside’s unique challenges? No. If, however, there’s funding for it, and support from the community, I can’t see how it would have a down-side. Of course, Los Angeles invested in some amazing freeway murals about 15 years ago and, for a while, they were respected. Sadly, many have recently been defaced. There should be a plan in place to provide long term maintenance of the mural, both from natural elements, pollution, and defacement.
Hi Sander, it’s me again. I hope I didn’t give the impression that the mural should be dismissed. I’m just not convinced that the goal of the mural will achieve the desired affect. I have absolutely no doubt that the project has nothing but the most sincere of intentions. However, there must be a component that separates it from the usual platitudes that becomes just white noise. I would like to drive somewhere in an affluent area of southern California and see a Martin Luther King blvd, or a Cesar Chavez park or mural. But I probably won’t because those types of “strategies” are only used, not necessarily to honor the men but to appease the natives. And in turn we begin to compete with one another over which group will have the name or likeness of their assigned hero adorn a street or park or center. You mentioned that diversity as a concept isn’t inherently problematic. I totally agree. But I also agree that a gun isn’t harmful either, until it’s firing mechanism is engaged. Juan Diego described seeing a beautiful dark skinned woman on tepeyac hill. Then as renderings of Our Lady of Guadalupe began to emerge, beauty became more and more fair. The mechanism had been engaged. Now their standard of beauty is not necessarily dark skinned. Dark skinned, like they are. Your not dealing with a benign concept. And sure their may be no downside, but isn’t that the very essence status quo? If you invest in stocks, real estate, bonds etc. don’t you first perform your due diligence before investing? If the investment isn’t performing do you continue with such investments? If Los Angeles real estate in a slump, and Texas real estate is producing better results. Do you put new money in Los Angeles or Texas? I believe if your going to invest in such a project your knowledge and understanding of the people you have a concern for is of paramount importance. And then perhaps you may yield a greater interest. Your pitting your mural against years of conditioning. The kind of conditioning that would have more than one million people marching in cities across the nation demanding the right to be a part of the U.S’ working impoverished. The kind conditioning that would have a nation of people raise their voices in demand of reparations for the enslavement of their ancestors, yet be silent when government money, that even the very wealthy use, is available. Some monies designated specifically for them. I’ll say this to better illustrate my point. If you broke your leg would you want a doctor to tend to your leg or would you want someone to create a mural depicting a doctor tending to your leg. I think if the Westside mural project folks, first tended to the community, if they did their due diligence, perhaps that would bring back what you feel is currently missing. Consider Maslow hierarchy of needs theory. Perhaps a mural isn’t as important a need as something as simple as being heard.
Hi, Roberta. I am Sander’s wife. Sander was very interested in what you wrote and asked me to read it. I liked your idea of visiting the places of worship in the community. I agree that what is most important is the genuine and authentic interest and concern we have for each other. I wonder if the project is a strategy to appease the natives? I don’t know because I am not on the mural committee. Real care and support for all people of the westside community iis of course the answer. I like the idea of seeing art on the walls while I am driving. Long Beach has more art than other cities and that makes it attractive. It would be nice to see it in every community (Cesar Chavez and ML King would be great because they are true heros for all humanity). I understand your point that the community needs more substantial support than a mural! But if a truly community generated mural could be created with everyone involved — that would be awesome. But what would be most awesome is a community that lived together in unity, prosperity and peacefulness. If the mural is not authentic than its a waste of time and money. It has to come from the hearts of the people who feel empowered to express themselves freely. They need to feel supported and cared for in order for that to happen.
Hi Shari, how are you? hope you are having a great weekend. As I understood it, the Westside mural project has had a little trouble getting enough youth involved in the mural project. So one may ask, in what then, are the youth involved? Then one may ask, what role do the parents play in what ever it is that the Westside youth are involved? Who are what is the greatest influence in these youths lives? Does the community want the mural? Does the community care? AS far as you know, are the vast majority of multi-ethnic communities in southern ca. faced with similar problems? If they are, why. I think you missed my point about Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King. What I was saying is that, the names of these two men are usually prominent in areas of predominately people of color. When you here of Dr. king and the “civil rights struggle” it is usually pertains to African Americans. It is so often presented that way. Which to me is a kind of conditioning. How often have you heard it referred to as the struggle to uphold the integrity of the constitution of the United States. In fact that is what that was all about. As was the Westminster schools vs.. Mendez, and in Kansas (Johnson county I believe) vs.. Corinthia Nutter. These cases aren’t about African American and Latino Civil rights as much as they are about maintaining the very foundation of Our constitution. Yet people such as these folks are absent in absent in the affluent areas. Those areas are reserved for names like la Guardia, John Wayne Bob Hope. Doesn’t that seem like appeasement to you? Try and do a mural of Harriet Tubman and Dolores Huerta in Laguna Beach, where such education is really needed. It isn’t any different to me than to here a politician mangle a few simple words in Spanish. Do they think because he/she said Yo karo sayr to presudentay. I’m going to over look their past ineffectiveness if not completely ignoring my concerns? I am buy no means against a mural, but I think the lack of response from the youth maybe a result of our lack of response, as mentors leaders and guiders to them. Is there a way that you can gather some youth together to get some responses, some viewpoints from them get to know them and address some of the things they feel are their issues. then perhaps after a few gatherings they want to mark their new found optimism ( hopefully they go away from the experience with optimism) with a mural. Talk to you guys later! Roberta
I hope that you did not take my criticism on institutionalized learning to be the primary factor to the lack of creativity and participation the students show. Also, the full quotation is not present. One of the goals we hope to accomplish with the students is an interest in learning about their surrounding cultures and community through educational workshops without it being tied to academics. Grades should not constitute their intelligence nor should it tell them what is considered acceptable in the art world. Also, I understand that our goal to create a more unified community may sound cliche by painting a mural, but how many steps are being taken to bring this type of awareness to the people? This is one step of many. I completely agree with you about the term “diversity” versus “unify”. This is something else we are attempting to incorporate into the mural, for many murals that attempt to bring cultures together still segregate them on the same wall. Understand that the core group of the project is always growing and the process in completing a mural that visually speaks to its residents and those who drives by it will only gain success with the assistance of the people conscious of these issues. If you feel certain things need to be emphasized that are lacking on other murals, please do not hesitate to send us an email at westsidemuralproject@yahoo.com . The core members currently consist of current college students or recent graduates outreaching to those who can help educate our current youth involved about culture or issues that would be beneficial to their conscious and artistic growth. We hope to receive more of your feedback so that we can do what we can to improve our objectives, or if you would like to contact me directly about how you can get involved or tasks that can be improved on, please email me at siamwahine@hotmail.com . Your help would be greatly appreciated, since this is a learning process for us as well. Thank you!
Individuals have gifts that are unique to their experience and inclinations. When we feel the tug of civic responsibility, we answer that call in the way that feels most comfortable to us. While one person may volunteer for an after-school program, another may write a check to fund it, or help spread the word about volunteer opportunities. Some, when called to action, use their creative abilities to produce work that speaks to and, sometimes for, the soul of a community. I do not presume to judge another’s gifts, or how they share them.
It is clear to me that we, as individuals, are all of one mind in believing that change is possible, that hope is alive, and that the future of the neighborhood and its residents is improving. Part of an artist’s job is to see things that others can’t, and express those visions in a way that can provide others with a glimpse into what is possible. This is not a cure-all, or always the best or most significant path to fundamental change, but it is valid, important, and part of every culture’s history.
If we can agree that change is possible, then we can support each other in finding our own paths toward that change.
Peace.
When do these educational workshops take place and and what is the curriculum?
This Thursday, July 12, from 12 -5 pm the WSMP will be holding a Westside Community BBQ at Hudson Park. Everyone is invited. We will be having an open canvas, activities, and free food. Our objective of this barbeque is to find interested individuals in helping us develop a bigger team for the project so we can start creating concrete plans for a curriculum. If you are interested in attending or would like more information, or if you would like to somehow contribute, please call me at (562)833-5624.
Hi June, how was the BBQ? Do you have pictures of the open canvas?