Week 9

Another artist that really captured my attention from those presented this week was muralist Judy Baca. Her ability to create large and intricate works of art is truly astounding. In particular, I was drawn toward her piece "The Great Wall Of Los Angeles." Baca's ability to create narratives around the history of the region and that of Latino/as into a large work of art is astounding. Every single image placed on the wall has significance towards it, and often those images tell the story of people who are either forgotten or are not taught in schools. It is also incredible the way that Baca was able to bring together I believe more than 300 artists to work together on this singular project for the enrichment of those who live in the region. After seeing the presentation about the wall in class I asked one of my friends, who is a local to LA if he could take me, and seeing the Wall in person is a humbling experience. During the presentation, there was only a small portion that was shown, which is reasonable since the mural is almost 3000 feet long. While parts of the wall are beginning to fade, which is reasonable due to its age and refurbishing, the striking images of history remain as the images of "Farewell to Rosie the Riveter", "Development of Suburbia", "The Red Scare & McCarthyism", "5000,000 Mexican Americans Deported", and many more explain not only the history of the region, but also of the time and struggle felt by the people who live in Los Angles.