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October
25,
2005 |
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Three Local
Muralists Honor Boyle Heights, East L.A. Artists Paul Botello,
Man One and Charles Freeman creating large-scale murals on Metro Gold
Line Eastside Extension construction fences. In homage to the East Los Angeles mural heritage, Metro has commissioned three local artists to paint murals on large-scale construction fences at key intersections of the Eastside Extension project now under construction. The original artworks will bring a welcome burst of color and visual celebration honoring various aspects of the community, turning a functional and mundane neighborhood barrier into a neighborhood specific artwork. The visuals will be painted on wood walls over 20 feet in height by hundreds of feet in length and will be completed by the end of 2006. A Call to Artists was
sent to 5,000 artists and art organizations. A panel of mural experts
was convened and reviewed 22 applications and chose the following three
artists. Charles
Freeman (Brother Boko) The first mural is Freeman's two wall design entitled Know Thy Self located at First Street and Lorena Avenue. It includes images of the Chumash, Tongva and Kumeyay which represents the history of this region. Historical scenes meshed with ancient iconography create a surreal image of time. Additional images include Mother Earth, Mayan and Aztec cultural icons, and a girl who is discovering them through reading. "With the idea that if you know where you came from you'll know where you are going, I wanted to create a work that was about site specificity and learning," says Freeman. Man
One The
Four Pillars by Man One will be located at First Street and Soto
Street. The Artist chose four elements: family, faith, work, and
history, to represent the spirit of the East Los Angeles community. Two
walls in English (faith and history) and two in Spanish (trabajo and
familia) reflect the present reality of spoken language in the area. The
lettering, done in bold and colorful urban art style that the artist has
evolved throughout the years, makes it receptive, respected and relevant
to the many youth who will view the walls on a daily basis. “Family is the
first concept because you need to feel like you belong and be a part of
people who you can identify with and embrace,” says Man One.
“Secondly, faith is very important whether it be Jewish or Catholic or
any other religous affiliation. Faith in something greater than us is
the glue which binds the community and its people. Work is the most
vital because it literally creates the house you live in and creates
pride in the members of the community as well as the commerce that
drives everyday life. Finally, history provides the backbone of the
community by illustrating what has come before you, the important
lessons as well as traditions.” Paul
Botello Global
Los Angeles, A & B will be on two construction walls located at
First Street and Boyle Avenue. The central image of both murals is an
abstract version of the City of Los Angeles. It is also a geometric
sunburst. The mural images reflect and are based on historical
information from Boyle Heights gathered from various sources and the
2000 census. "These spheres are symbols that represent individual
worlds, globes of culture and history,” says Paul Botello. “These
worlds also represent the different people and ethnicities that make up
this specific Boyle Heights community." Established in 1989,
Metro's Art Department has commissioned more than 250 artists for a wide
variety of projects. One half of one percent (0.5%) of rail construction
costs are allocated to the creation of original art works. Artists are
selected through a peer review process with community input; all works
are created, especially, for their transit-related sites. The
agency offers public art tours through the Metro Docent Council. Free
tours are offered the first Saturday and Sunday of every month. The
tours are round-trip and last approximately 2 hours. Saturday tours
begin at 10 a.m. at the street level entrance to the Hollywood/Highland
Metro Rail Station. Sunday tours begin at 10 a.m. at the information
booth inside the entrance to historic Union Station. For more
information contact Barbara Lashenick or call (213) 922-2738. Free tours
for groups of 15 or more are available by special arrangement. For more information
about the Metro Art Program, visit metro.net/art or call Metro Art at
(213) 922-4ART. Metro-156 |