Civic Engagement - El Monte

 Civic Engagement Project by Cassandra Valdez 

Phase 1: The Site – El Monte, California

    While thinking about which city to pick, I ultimately decided on El Monte, California, since I have lived there my whole life and am quite familiar with the area, which would help me do this project to the best of my ability. I believe that selecting something known to me would give me a chance to view this place in a different light than before. Before undertaking this assignment I was not paying any special attention to public art which can be found throughout the city. I might have been passing by murals, graffiti and other artwork several times not even noticing them. El Monte is an eclectic community with its own culture, history, and unique identity. In terms of my research project, it would be important for me to discover if public art in this city depicts people from the area. Therefore, I am going to analyze themes of murals and other types of public artwork and see which cultures, histories, and communities they depict. At the same time, I am going to consider the things that might be absent from such artwork.

    I selected El Monte because it is going to be fascinating to observe a familiar community from the point of view of public art. The aim of this research project is to document the various kinds of art in this city and understand their messages. This research is going to help me to define if public art depicts El Monte and where there might be a need to develop something new.

Phase 2: Field Work 

    In El Monte, there are a lot of different forms of artwork, and although they don't all represent the culture or different backgrounds of the people who reside in El Monte, they represent something bigger. For instance,
The Lion Statue

    One of the public artworks I chose to focus on is the lion statue connected to Gay's Lion Farm and El Monte's history. Gay's Lion Farm opened in El Monte in the 1920s and became a major attraction associated with the city. The lion has continued to be an important symbol of El Monte's past.

The theme of this piece is local history and memory. The lion represents a part of El Monte that many people today may not personally remember. I think the statue is important because it gives people a physical connection to the city's past. Without knowing the history, someone could easily see it as just a lion statue and not understand its significance. This made me realize that public art sometimes requires people to look deeper into the history of a community.

Statue of Liberty Replica

    The Statue of Liberty replica is located at the El Monte Civic Center. The statue was donated to the city by Dr. Jing T. Wang, a Taiwanese immigrant, as an expression of appreciation for living in the United States. The replica was placed in El Monte in the 1980s.

    The main themes I see in this artwork are freedom, immigration, and opportunity. I found this art piece interesting since El Monte is a very diverse community with many different kinds of immigrant families. Although the Statue of Liberty is a national American symbol rather than something created specifically to represent El Monte, its meaning can still connect to many people in the community.

    At the same time, I questioned whether the statue fully represents El Monte today. The city has its own cultures and experiences that may not be obvious through a traditional American symbol. I do think the statue has meaning, but I also believe more public artwork could be placed nearby that directly represents the cultures and people of El Monte.

El Monte Station Murals

    The artwork at El Monte Station stood out to me because it is placed in a location that many people use in their everyday lives. One of the works is El Monte Legion Stadium Nocturne by Vincent Ramos. The artwork focuses on musicians, promoters, and events connected to the former El Monte Legion Stadium. The stadium was important to the area's music and entertainment history and hosted rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music, boxing, and other events.

    I like that this artwork brings local history into a public transportation space. People do not have to visit a museum or pay to see it. Instead, commuters can see the artwork while going to work, school, or other places. The piece represents music and entertainment history that could easily be forgotten as the city changes.

    However, I also wonder how many people passing through the station actually know what the artwork represents. Before researching this project, I did not know much about the El Monte Legion Stadium. I think adding more visible information about the history behind the artwork could help the community better understand its meaning.

Come Walk with Me Mural

Another artwork I chose is Come Walk with Me by Kiara Aileen Machado. The mural was created as part of LA vs Hate's Summer of Solidarity public art series and celebrates the Latiné community. The artist's work explores identity, femininity, culture, and liberation.

This mural stood out to me because I feel that it more directly connects to the people who currently live in and around El Monte. The colors, people, and cultural themes make the artwork feel personal and community-centered. Compared to the Statue of Liberty replica, this mural represents identity in a more specific way.

I think Come Walk with Me is a good example of how public art can make people feel seen. It is not only there to make a space look better. It communicates a message about culture and belonging. This piece also made me think about whose stories are shown in public spaces. El Monte has a diverse population, and I believe public art should continue to represent the different cultures, histories, and experiences found throughout the community.

Phase 3: Critical Analysis

    After looking at the different public artworks in El Monte, I noticed that many of them focus on history, culture, and identity. Before this project, I honestly never paid much attention to public art around the city. After looking at the lion statue, the Statue of Liberty replica, the El Monte Station artwork, and the Come Walk with Me mural, I realized that each piece tells a different story about the community.

    One major theme is preserving history. The lion statue represents Gay's Lion Farm and acts as a symbol of El Monte's past. The artwork at El Monte Station also centers local history by showing the importance of the El Monte Legion Stadium and its connection to music and entertainment. I think these artworks are important because they keep parts of El Monte's history from being forgotten. I personally did not know much about the Legion Stadium before this project.

    The Statue of Liberty replica represents freedom, immigration, and opportunity. These themes can connect to El Monte because many people in the community come from immigrant families. However, the statue does not immediately show the specific cultures that make up El Monte. The Come Walk with Me mural, on the other hand, feels more connected to the current community because it celebrates Latin culture and identity. To me, this mural is a strong example of public art making community members feel represented.

    I also noticed that some groups are less visible in the artworks I studied. El Monte is a diverse community, but there could be more artwork representing Asian communities, women, younger generations, and the everyday experiences of immigrant families. This made me question who decides which artwork is placed in the community and which stories receive attention.

    Overall, I think El Monte's public art does a good job of preserving local history, but there is still room for more representation. The artwork shows history, immigration, music, and Latino culture, but I think more art could reflect the diversity of the people living in El Monte today. This project made me realize that public art can show what a city chooses to remember and whose stories are represented.

Phase 4: Proposal 

    Now that I have completed this project, I have come to realize the value of the public art pieces in El Monte. Prior to this project, I tended to walk by or drive by these pieces without paying too much attention. I now know that public art goes beyond just beautifying an area. It communicates stories and culture of the people in the community.

    One thing I really liked was that several artworks celebrate important parts of El Monte's history. The lion statue keeps the memory of Gay's Lion Farm alive, and the artwork at El Monte Station reminds people of the city's music and entertainment history. I also liked the Come Walk with Me mural because it celebrates Latiné culture and helps people in the community feel represented.

    As far as the recommendations go, the first one that comes to my mind is the installation of additional artwork that would reflect the cultural diversity of the present-day El Monte. Despite the presence of many communities in the city, I believe that there can be more artwork that will focus on the life of Asians, immigrants, residents and students. In this case, the citizens themselves can participate in designing future murals or choosing them via voting.  

    Another recommendation is the creation of additional information regarding the historical background of some works of art. While working on this project, I had no idea about the history of both the lion statue and the El Monte Station artwork.

    All in all, the city already has a solid background of public art, but it still has much room for improvement. In this way, it is necessary to continue creating artwork and preserving the history of the city by installing works that reflect its present-day community.