Civic Engagement Project - Highland Park, CA

Civic Engagement Project - Highland Park, CA
ART 3170: Whose City? Public Art, Power, and Representation in Los Angeles 
By Zoe Sanchez



Phase 1: The site - Highland Park, CA

I chose Highland Park because it is where I was born and raised. That being said, I've grown up surrounded by murals and plenty of public art here, on walls, in alleys, under bridges, and I've always noticed how each one says something about the neighborhood. Some of the murals are decades old, created by Chicano artists who used art to express cultural pride and community memory. Others are more recent, painted on the sides of new cafes or shops that have appeared as the area changes.

Highland Park has a long history as one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, with deep Latino and working-class roots. But in recent years, it became a site of rapid gentrification, and I have come to realize that the art has started to reflect that transformation. The mix of old and new murals, sometimes clashing, sometimes blending, becomes, in a way, a visual record of the neighborhood's shifting identity.  

For me, this project is about looking closely at what I see every day and asking myself: Whose stories are being told here? And whose aren't?


Phase 2: Field Work - Mapping Highland Park's Public Art

To document Highland Park's Public Art, I took photos and notes while walking along Figueroa Street, York Boulevard, and Avenue 50, areas with a lot of visible murals. I mainly focused on different kinds of public art: community murals, small graffiti tags, and newer, more commercial designs.


1. "Water is life" (2022)


Painted as a community collaboration across from the local park in Highland Park. This mural uses bright blues and green, showing plants, animals, and flowing water surrounded by people of different backgrounds. It focuses on environmental care and unity. It's one of the newest examples of collective art in the area, and it still looks fresh and vibrant.

2. "Technochtitlan - The Wall That Talks" (1996)


Located at 6039 N Figeroa Street, this is one of the most famous murals in my neighborhood. It was created by the Quetzalocatl Mural Project and tells the story of indigenous heritage, migration, and community identity. The colors are fading, but its fading, but its still powerful, especially since it's been at the center of local conversations about mural preservation and erasure.

3. "Dr. Dre" Mural (2025)


 A new mural created by Pulling Paint Studio for the L.O.L.A Clubhouse in Highland Park. It celebrates Dr. Dre's legacy and connection to Los Angeles music culture. The mural has a bold, modern look, different from the older, community-based pieces, and it's interesting to see how a work honoring a global figure like Dr. Dre fits into a neighborhood known for local storytelling.  

Phase 3: Critical Analysis - Patterns of Representation in Highland Park

After walking through Highland Park and documenting several murals, I started noticing how different generations of public art tell different stories about who this neighborhood is and how it’s changing.

The older mural, “Tenochtitlan - The Wall That Talks” (1996), is still one of the most powerful visual landmarks in the area. It celebrates Indigenous and Chicano identity through bold imagery and layered symbolism. Even though the paint has faded a bit, it continues to anchor the neighborhood’s sense of cultural pride and historical memory. For many longtime residents, it represents continuity, a reminder that Highland Park’s roots are deeply tied to community activism and self-representation.

A more recent piece, “Unity Through Community” (2023), located along York Boulevard, brings that same idea of solidarity into the present. The mural features people of different ages and backgrounds intertwined through patterns of plants, ribbons, and neighborhood scenes. It was created through workshops with local youth at Avenue 50 Studio, making it not just an image of togetherness but a process that actually practiced it. This mural stands out as a positive example of collaborative art-making in a neighborhood that’s often described through conflict and change.

Then there’s the brand-new “Dr. Dre” mural (2025), painted by Pulling Paint Studio for the L.O.L.A Clubhouse. It celebrates Los Angeles music culture and connects Highland Park to the wider story of Black creativity in the city. Compared to the older, community-driven murals, this one feels more polished and commercial,  but it also brings energy and visibility to a different kind of cultural narrative.

Together, these murals reveal a shift in how representation and power work in public art. The earlier murals were grassroots and identity-based, claiming space for marginalized voices. The newer ones tend to reflect broader or more marketable themes, often supported by businesses or organizations. This mix shows how art in Highland Park balances between heritage and reinvention.

I also noticed smaller graffiti and street tags around York and Figueroa that reference gentrification and belonging. Even though they’re less permanent, they act as quick, urgent forms of expression, reminders that people are still negotiating what Highland Park means and who gets to shape its image.

Altogether, the murals form a visual dialogue about identity, change, and voice. They show that public art in Highland Park is not just decoration but a living, evolving record of the community’s struggles and hopes.


Phase 4: Proposal - Imagining Future Art in Highland Park

After spending time walking through Highland Park, Photographing murals, and thinking about what they say about the community, I started to see a pattern: the most meaningful artworks here are the ones created with the people, not just for them.

The “Water Is Life” mural (2022) is a perfect example of this — it came out of a community effort, and it shows how collective creativity can express shared values like care for the environment and respect for diversity. In contrast, newer murals like the Dr. Dre piece or the one near Villa’s Tacos are visually powerful and culturally relevant, but they feel more individual or commercial in tone. There’s room in Highland Park for all of these voices — but what’s missing are spaces where those voices meet and collaborate.

If I were to propose a new public art project, I’d recommend a community mural series that invites both longtime residents and newer neighbors to work together. This could happen through Avenue 50 Studio, which already has strong roots in the area and experience running local art initiatives. The project could focus on themes like “Home and Change,” “Water and Memory,” or “Voices of Highland Park.”

 Possible locations could include: 

  • A wall near the Highland Park Gold Line Station, since it’s one of the most visible and diverse spaces in the neighborhood.
  • A section of York Boulevard, where new and old businesses sit side by side.
  • A public park wall where people gather, similar to how “Water Is Life” became part of its surrounding space. 

The process would be just as important as the final image. Local artists could hold open sketch sessions or story-sharing days where residents contribute ideas, images, and personal histories. That way, the mural doesn’t just represent Highland Park; it’s actually made by Highland Park.

My goal with this proposal is to show that public art doesn’t have to choose between honoring the past and embracing the present. The murals I saw, from the historic “Tenochtitlan” to “Water Is Life” to the newer, pop-culture-inspired pieces, all prove that art in this neighborhood is alive, layered, and constantly changing. A community-driven mural program could help ensure that as Highland Park continues to evolve, its walls will keep reflecting the voices of everyone who calls it home.


Final Reflection 

This project made me see Highland Park in a new way. I used to walk past the murals without really noticing them, but now I see how each one tells part of the neighborhood’s story. The older pieces, like Tenochtitlan,  The Wall That Talks, keep cultural memory alive, while newer ones, like Water Is Life or the mural by Villa’s Tacos, show how the community continues to evolve.

I learned that public art reflects both pride and change, who gets represented, and who doesn’t. Even as the walls shift and fade, they keep showing that people here care about being seen and remembered.


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