Wednesday, 4/30/97 Digital murals depict Estrada Courts’ history
Students document family values, cultural pride in East Los
Angeles
By Kathleen Rhames Daily Bruin Staff Whether you’re passing one
on a freeway, darting past it in an airport or simply admiring the
way it livens up the drab decor of an office building, murals have
the power to communicate. Beneath bright colors and striking visual
images, a mural can reflect the feelings and issues within a
community. In the East Los Angeles housing projects of Estrada
Courts, it is the voice of self-identity and cultural pride. In a
community known internationally for its collection of Chicano
murals, residents of Estrada Courts will witness the dedication
Thursday of a public art project with a more technological
emphasis. In association with the UCLA Cesar Chavez Digital Mural
Lab, the Social and Public Art Resource Center will present the
permanent installation of "The Digital Murals," a digitized
photographic documentary of the history of Estrada Courts. The
project was commissioned to UCLA students who interviewed 25 local
families and captured the emotions and social issues affecting
their lives. "We wanted students to have the opportunity to do
service-based learning," says professor and SPARC founder Judith
Baca. "It’s important for them to not only learn about the arts in
a theoretical way but to actually be involved in the real
production of an art work. It empowers students to understand how
they create change in a community and improve the lives of the
people they are in contact with." Inspired by family albums and
photographs, Baca and her students used digital technology to
create a photographic collage of the people living in Estrada
Courts. In the past, these materials would have been the basis of
sketches for a hand-painted mural. Now, with the help of a
computer, students directly scanned in photographic images as the
mural itself. The result was six 8-foot-by-9-foot murals, printed
with high-resolution billboard techniques on a vinyl background.
Its futuristic appeal is what Baca calls "a kind of magical
realism." "The pieces we’ve created document real life," Baca says.
"Each of these images have their own specific meanings and
individual stories. We’re trying to show that these stories are
significant and that our work represents these people with dignity
and hope." "The Digital Murals" attempt to counter negative media
stereotypes of the inner city, replacing it with the positive
reinforcement of family values and cultural pride. One piece,
titled "Las Four," features four women sitting serenely on the
front stoop of their house in Estrada Courts. The women are young
and one of them has a small child. Behind them stand four historic
Chicano leaders and the image of a pre-Columbian goddess. "These
figures connect the people of Estrada Courts with their cultural
past," says SPARC Associate Director Alma Lopez. "It envisions
options for these women, a door to pass through. Understanding that
they come from these wonderful historic pasts dignifies their
presence and gives them the possibility for a future." Other
pieces, such as "Maria De Los Angeles" and "Silver Angel" give
postive parenting messages to young men and women. It is because
the subject matter of the murals is so realistic that the UCLA
Cesar Chavez Digital Lab chose to digitally install them as
photographic images. The resulting murals capture the essence of
Estrada Courts and have become the voice of the community. "These
aren’t images imposed from outside the community but are derived
from interactive processes between the artists and the community,"
Baca says. "These murals symbolize the people’s aspirations, their
hopes and their worries." And Baca should know. A professor in the
UC system for 15 years, she has also worked as a muralist with
several well-known pieces to her credit. As an artist and a
professor, she found early on that there were few vehicles that
allowed her to produce community-centered artwork. In 1974, she
founded SPARC, which based itself on the preservation, presentation
and production of public art. Since its beginning, the resource
center has produced over 70 murals throughout Los Angeles,
including the Great Wall of Los Angeles and the Neighborhood Pride
Mural Projects. Baca teaches through an interdisciplinary system,
which she explains allows students of all majors to take part in
community participatory projects. "This is about students doing
something that has real application in the world," Baca says.
"They’re not only beautifying physical space, but discovering that
they can work in a difficult place and improve the situation
there." ART: "The Digital Murals" dedication will be Thursday at
the Estrada Courts Community Center in East Los Angeles. Admission
is free. A free bus for UCLA students will leave from Ackerman
Union at 2 p.m. For more information, call the Cesar Chavez Mural
Lab at 822-9560. UCLA Cesar Chavez Digital Mural Lab at SPARC "La
Trinidad" is among the pieces that depict life in Estrada Courts.
UCLA Cesar Chavez Digital Mural Lab at SPARC "Las Four" is one of
series of photos used in "The Digital Murals."