Richard Wyatt Jr. looked at the Fowler Now newsletter and was surprised to see the mural he painted as a 14-year-old one summer at UCLA. At that time the mural’s artist had not been identified. Wyatt called the Fowler Museum and eagerly shared his story.
On Saturday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m., the celebration of 40 years of ethnic studies at UCLA will be continued with a viewing of the mural and presentation of Wyatt’s large body of murals that focus on black history.
Wyatt’s positive experience painting the mural that summer at UCLA led him to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UCLA in 1978.
During his third year at UCLA, Wyatt’s work was already being shown in galleries. However, he decided he wanted his work to be available to the community members who inspired his socially-charged imagery.
“I was always bothered that my work might not be viewed in the communities in which I was a part of. So I began painting murals in South Central Los Angeles and Compton,” Wyatt said. “Consequently, people outside of my community saw my work and I started receiving mural commissions word of mouth.”
His community outreach led to a very successful career painting murals mostly in Southern California. Some of his most prominent works include Union Station and Ontario International Airport.
Though a well-known muralist now, Wyatt’s love of art was apparent at a young age.
“As a kid, I was always drawing. I was the kid in the classroom who would draw in the margins of his notebook paper,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt took his interest to the next level when he entered the 1968 Watts Chalk-In. He won. At the age of 12, he took much more away than the prize money.
“That event established two things for me. First, that I definitely wanted to be an artist and secondly, I could possibly have a career as an artist,” he said.
Two years later, Wyatt, with his friend Guillermo Anderson (who has since passed away), was commissioned to paint a mural outside the Bunche Center for African American Studies. They spent the summer of 1971 working on a mural with a positive message.
“At the time we were interested in the black family. Our goal was to create an inspirational piece that presented the black male as the protector of the family. It was a counter narrative in contrast to the mainstream representation and/or portrayal of black men in the media at the time,” Wyatt said.
The mural can also be seen from a different angle.
“It is so much about family, about the protection of youth, and about nurturing the youth,” said Betsy Quick, the director of education for the Fowler Museum.
This was an appropriate topic because in a sense the community outreach program through which Anderson and Wyatt completed the project nurtured their artistic skills.
“The opportunity to be a part of a university community at a young age was very important to (Wyatt),” Quick said. “It wasn’t just the community experience that greatly benefited him. He learned the importance of the kinds of choices a young person can make. He found both material and internal success. It is about finding what you are passionate about, and he clearly has a passion for art.”
Wyatt’s later success in life is proof of how large the impact of community outreach programs can be for youth without a lot of options.
“Often, as we have seen in past years, as the university has cut back (community outreach programs), these opportunities for middle school and high school students are needed so that they are able to see the college community,” Quick said.
In celebration of community outreach through the arts, the Fowler Museum compiled the exhibition “Art, Activism, Access: 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA.” The staff at the Fowler Museum wanted to include the mural that greeted all those who frequented the Bunche Center for African American Studies.
The problem was that the mural had been in storage and the identities of the artists lost.
When the mural was published in various UCLA newsletters, Wyatt himself was able to provide the answers.
“I was delighted to find out more about the background of the mural,” Quick said, who received the call from Wyatt. Wyatt’s status as a prominent black muralist was further incentive to include his work in the exhibition, “Art, Activism, Access: 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA.”
It was later discovered that both Wyatt and Anderson signed the mural.
“The story of how he became involved with the mural goes well with the themes of the exhibition,” said Bonnie Poon, the manager of public programs at Fowler Museum.
The lecture will look at how Wyatt’s time at UCLA as a youth inspired his later works.
“Visitors will take away an understanding of Richard Wyatt’s working process and how the first mural he painted has influenced his painting ever since,” Poon said.