Public Art in Eat los Angeles

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT- SALAZAR PARK MURAL  

This is a mural I saw at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles.
LOCATION- The park, located at 3864 Whittier Boulevard, about 2 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

PHASE 1- Site
For my civic engagement project, I chose Salazar Park in East Los Angeles. I picked this location because it is part of my community and a place where people come together. It is a park that represents culture and history, especially through the murals and public art around it. I have seen this area before, but I never really paid attention to the meaning behind the artwork until this project.

PHASE 2- Field Work

During my visit, I focused on this mural that stood out to me also because its a local park i been going too. The mural is very colorful and shows different people, symbols, and moments that represent culture and history. It looks like it tells a story about the Latino community, including struggles, identity, and unity. The artwork includes many figures placed together, which makes it feel like it is showing a shared experience. This mural is located in a public space where people can easily see it, making it important for the community.

PHASE 3-Critical Analysis

The mural at Salazar Park shows a lot of important people and moments connected to the Chicano community. In the mural, you can see groups of people standing together, which represents unity and shared experiences. There are also images that look like migration, family life, and workers, which show the struggles and history of the community. One part of the mural also connects to Ruben Salazar, who the park is named after. He was a journalist who died during the Chicano Moratorium in 1970, which was a protest against the Vietnam War because many Chicanos were being sent to fight.The mural also shows progress, with images that look like technology and education, which represent growth and the future. All of these details together make the mural feel like it is telling a story from the past to the present. Instead of focusing on just one person like a statue would, this mural represents many people and their experiences. this mural shows how public art can be used to remember history and give a voice to a community. It connects the past, like the Chicano Moratorium, to the present by showing culture, identity, and unity in one place.

PHASE 4- PROPROSAL

Salazar Park dId a good job of showing culture and history through murals like the one I observed. It was the only one but at least the artwork is very detailed and meaningful, and it represents the Latino community and important events like the Chicano Moratorium. I like how the mural is placed in a public area where people can see it when passing by in car or walking, it helps keep the history alive and visible. However, one thing that could be improved is adding more information about the mural. There are a lot of details and symbols in the artwork, but without any explanation, some people might not fully understand what it represents. Because of this, the message could be missed by people who are not familiar with the history. I think the park should add signs or plaques that explain the meaning behind the mural and the people shown in it, including Ruben Salazar. They could also involve the community by adding more murals in the future that reflect current experiences and stories. This would help make the park even more meaningful and allow more people to connect with the art. Overall, Salazar Park is already an important space for public art, but adding more murals and information and community based artwork would make it even stronger and more inclusive i say.

Sources

https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/ruben-salazar-park/.

https://www.historypin.org/en/explore/geo/37.77493,-122.419416,12/bounds/37.691301,-122.488252,37.858465,-122.35058/paging/1/pin/1190063

https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/185641.pdf


Location: Salazar Park, 3864 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023, USA

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