May 21, 2019
A few days ago a drab high school campus in L.A. was transformed – community-relevant paintings — done by 31 artists as part of a weeklong festival co-produced by the L.A. firm Branded Arts and the Los Angeles Unified School District – brought color to the Maya Angelou Community High School.
Prominent artists and students had brainstormed, picked topics, vetted themes with the community at large for the last three years. Proposed sketches were discussed at monthly town halls, and the community turned out completely supportive.
The muralists and students worked together, sculptures were developed as well, and there was a concert during the unveiling last Saturday.
It reminded me a bit of what I had seen in Vienna last year, when various international artists transformed neighborhoods with large graffitied murals, with the support and encouragement of the city administration, art institutions and diverse landlords, whose building walls were used as canvases. I wrote about it here.
However, that project lacked the hands-on participation of people affected by the art – in contrast to the LA mural initiatives which really tried to respond to neighborhood ideas, concerns and needs and ultimately actively involved community members in the production process.
A (fleeting) parallel could be found here in PDX some weeks ago when a group of musicians, presented by Boom Arts, came to town from various US locations and encouraged members of the community to make music together with them. During concerts at the Old Church The Team actively engaged the audience, teaching them new songs, and providing structure through local talent, individual musicians as well as choirs, and political activists. The approach strengthened a sense of community, in addition to loosening inhibitions about singing outside of the privacy of one’s shower.
Outside of volunteering, it is somewhat rare to experience this community spirit, and we are the poorer for it. Most importantly, it brings together people who would otherwise have little contact, fostering a sense of shared interest and/or commitment.
Photographs are from the concert, including members of the Transpose choir.
And here is a young musician from L.A.:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22ZEVklvkEc
