This got forwarded to me a couple of times; I can’t attend due to work so I’ll just spread the word.

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Important Meeting at the Department of Cultural Affairs

1:30 PM Thursday, March 6, 2008

Re: Fine Art Murals on Private Property

I would like to invite you to come to the Department of Cultural

Affairs (DCA), Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC) meeting this

Thursday, March 6 at 1:30 PM.  The meeting is at the DCA offices

located at 201 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 1400 Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Phone (213) 202-5500. www.culturela.org

I am asking you to come and to make your feeling heard as to the

state of fine art murals in Los Angeles.  Right now fine art murals

on private property within the City of Los Angeles have been

outlawed.  The Cultural Affairs Department used to have jurisdiction

over murals on public as well as private property.  They lost the

jurisdiction over murals on private property during the summer of

2007.  At first I was unsure what this would mean.  It would seem

that if DCA does not have jurisdiction, then no City agency has

jurisdiction over fine art murals.  I found that the City of LA does

not believe this to be true.

We painted an 18′ x 45′ mural on Cesar Chavez and Breed Street in

December of 2007.  In late January an inspector from the City of LA,

Department of Building and Safety cited the building owner for an

“unapproved mural/sign” After the owner received this “Order to

Comply” from the City along with the threat of a misdemeanor, a

hefty fine and possible jail time, the owner painted the mural out

without consulting me.

This mural was painted by Lead Artist- Asylm and by Artists Jaime

“Vyal” Reyes and Alex Rodriguez. Go to this link to see pictures of

this mural:

http://www.icuart.com/com-murals/lml/

We had applied for a permit for the mural in July of 2007. We had

permission from the building owner and had even applied for a permit

with DCA in July of 2007.  At the last minute our permit application

was pulled by the city because DCA said they no longer had

jurisdiction over fine art murals on private property.

I have heard stories similar to ours from artists all over Los

Angeles.  Particularly this problem has been an issue for artists

painting with spray paint.  As you can see from the photos of our

mural that was painted out, that it was a beautiful mural that is

not a sign and does not look like graffiti.  There is no lettering

at all, no commercial message or product, no logos and not even a

web site address.

This treatment is typical of the City of Los Angeles when it comes

to showing support and respect for the muralists that paint the

walls of this city.  Los Angeles used to proudly call itself the

“mural capital of the world.”  Although we still have more

non-sanctioned murals than any other city in the world, we have lost

the title to Philadelphia for sanctioned murals.  This is because of

the unfair and unconstitutional treatment of mural work in this city

by various city agencies. Many times artists that I have worked with

have told me stories of how they got permission from a tenant and

building owner for a mural on a small market or store.  They have

worked with the community and painted a beautiful mural at their own

expense.  Often these murals are replacing ugly vandalism marks and

gang markings.  Yet the city comes around and harasses the tenants

and scares them into thinking they need to remove the mural or they

will be fined.

This is un-American and un-constitutional. All this while the

billboard companies run wild in the city putting up large vinyl

graphics on the sides of buildings, illegal billboards all over

town, digital billboards and oversized commercial posters.  Yet out

of fear of the large corporations the only response from the city

has been to further regulate, punish and censor artwork by this

city’s true artists and avant-garde visionaries.

No more.  Come make your voice heard. The Cultural Affairs

Department is potentially a sympathetic agency to artists’ rights.

They are the agency that is supposed to defend the rights of

artists.  Come tell them that we need their help. Tell them that the

current regulations need to be changed to accommodate real artists

and not just crass commercial messages.

This issue of murals on private property is number 6 on the agenda

for this meeting. The agenda can be found at his link:

http://www.lacity.org/cad/commissions/affairsagenda/cadaffairsagenda9251121_03062008.pdf

Come to the meeting and fill out a speaker card to get your three

minutes to speak.  Hear what the DCA is trying to do about the

problem.  E-mail or call me for more information. There is

relatively expensive parking available in the lot underneath the

building at 201 N. Figueroa.  Otherwise, get there early to look for

other more affordable lots in the area.

Stash Maleski

Director

ICU Art – In Creative Unity

Curator

Venice Art Walls

Project Manager

Boyle Heights Mural Pilot Program

(310) 309-7756 cell

stash@icuart.com

icuart@aol.com

www.icuart.com

www.veniceartwalls.com

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