Whose City? Public Art, Power, and Representation in Urban Landscape Blog 2

Velvet Tirado Professor Aziz  Art 3170-01 3 November 2025 Discovering Beauty Within Silver Lake and Echo Park.                            PHASE 1: THE SITE - Silver Lake / Echo Park          Silver Lake and Echo Park is home to various forms of public art . Silverlake is where I see more diverse artists displaying art pieces that can be political, historical or cultural. People that view the public art from different cultural backgrounds can have completely different understanding of the art price that even the artist may not have thought of. This is why I chose the Silver Lake area. 

    The Site The site that I chose to engage with, is the area of 7 th Street, Victorville, California. This site was an easy pick for me because it is an area I grew up around known as “Old Town Victorville”, and it is down the street from the local high school Victor Valley High (also where I graduated from). The significance of this area is that it is a part of the Historic U.S Route 66 which is the route that connects the state of Chicago to California. Established in 1926, This location was known for attracting a lot of guests because of the shops, food diners, and places for you to fuel and just rest for a bit.   Now the area has changed dramatically due to the overall decrease in travelers, which has resulted in a lot of the shops being abandoned rather than destroyed with the goal of preserving the classic old town look. The area has become filled with homelessness because of the decision to preserve these historic buildings. Over these last 5 or so years the...

 Gabriel Sotelo Professor Aziz Art 3170-01 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT El mercadito la Virgen mural Phase 1: The site The artwork I chose is called El mercadito la Virgen mural which can be located at  El Mercadito on N Lorena St & E 1st St in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. T here is so much artwork located throughout my neighborhood but this piece stood out the most. I feel that this art piece is a reflection to the Mexican culture and is a representation of what our neighborhood stands for. P hase 2: Field Work This art piece was made by Mario Torero and is an icon of a peace that can be a representation of hope for the Mexican American community of Boyle Heights. The mural was made to serve as a local community shrine. This piece was inspired by our Lady of Guadalupe, this mural is considered to be a sacred site and serves as a spiritual and cultural point for the community that gives the people of Boyle Heights a sense of pride. Over time the mural has become a shrine for t...

  Civic Engagement Project: El Monte  Jazmin Cardoso  10/27/2025 Phase 1: The Site - El Monte, California.  The City I chose was El Monte, California. Although I was not born here, I was raised in this place. I grew up in a small town, a Latin Hispanic Community. Due to it being a small city, there weren't many murals that could be used to learn from. There was more graffiti, or what it was called, "tagging" on the walls, affecting a lot of buildings, mostly businesses. Growing up, I never paid attention to many murals or signs, due to the lack of knowledge and education in my family. They had different points of view that, in a way, shaped my point of view and drew my attention away from it.  EL Monte is at the end of the Santa Fe Trail. The city was the first settlement in Southern California. It was founded by U.S. citizens in the early 1850s. Over the years, the city's structure and layout have improved. It now has more murals, more colors in the city, and c...

  Civic Engagement Project- South Central LA, CA Civic Engagement Project- South Central LA, CA Art 3170: Whose City? Public Art, Power, and Representation In Los Angeles  By: Kala Trotter Phase 1: The site - South Central LA I decided to choose South Central Los Angeles where I was born and raised. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles I have seen all sorts of art from murals, Graffiti, paintings, etc. many of the murals created here Los Angeles were made many years ago and we’re created by artists of color. Whose main purpose is to spread cultural pride, Representation, and evoke emotions. The Los Angeles art world Is constantly evolving intertwining traditional forms with experimental expressions. South Central Los Angeles is one of the biggest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, it is very diverse mainly with Hispanics and African-Americans. Many are middle class families or low income. Over the years, Los Angeles has became gentrified and art plays a complex role in this. Man...