Graffiti Artists Look Toward Los Angeles River for a Canvas
By Alfredo Aleman, EGP Staff Writer
Despite active anti-graffiti programs and laws to increase penalties, graffiti artists continue to leave their mark all across Los Angeles County.
The writing on the walls, sometimes consisting of bright bubble letters and other forms so eccentric that only those familiar with the calligraphy can decipher it, has both fans and detractors.
Among the fans are the graffiti artists who feel that open public spaces, or art parks, should be designated for such artwork. They want places where artists can wield their spray cans as a form of expression, and be free from the scrutiny of those who oppose their art form.
One of the places most coveted by graffiti artists is the Los Angeles River: a 51-mile concrete canvas that has been exposed to graffiti since it was first built.
“The riverbed is the last place… the wild frontier of the graffiti world. It’s been pretty lively,” said Joseph Montalvo, a 39-year-old graffiti artist whose work as “Nuke” has earned him recognition in both the graffiti and political worlds.
Los Angeles County is currently working on “The Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan,” a 20-year blueprint for the development and management of the river.
Whether the plan will include places for public art and if that art should be regulated, are among the many issues being looked at by river advocates and elected officials.
“If we’re going with a public zone where anything goes, that’s a policy question and we would have to ask the stakeholders (of the Los Angeles River), and the graffiti artists would be stakeholders,” said Councilman Ed Reyes (CD-1).
But while he is not outright opposed to the idea, Reyes says the thought of his four-year-old nephew and other children going to a skate park and being exposed to the obscene images sometimes created by graffiti artists, involving nudity and drug imagery, does concern him.
“We have to have some level of acknowledgment that there are children here and parents that take care of them” who might be offended, said Reyes, who thinks some regulation may be needed.
Montalvo laments the loss of open spaces, which he says were key to his development as a graffiti artist.
“We’ve been losing all our places,” said Montalvo. “Whether you’re talking about The Belmont Tunnel or you’re talking about the Venice Pavilion … these are historic spots where writers (what graffiti artists call themselves) can go and paint.”
Neither The Belmont Tunnel in Westlake nor the Venice Beach Pavilion were legally designated art spaces, but graffiti artists were drawn to the sites where they could paint freely.
Some officials, including Reyes, think designated graffiti art spaces may be a good alternative to the anywhere goes attitude of some graffiti artists, They also know making the idea palatable to the greater community, including graffiti artists and those who oppose the graffiti art, will not be easy.
“This is the challenge, the more we say you shouldn’t do it, the more inviting it is for [graffiti artists] to do it,” said Reyes, who believes much of graffiti’s thrill comes from it being illegal.
Reyes’ view not withstanding, artists still stress the importance of available open spaces to an artist’s development.
“Being a writer is our own form of art school. The rest of the people who aren’t involved in it see only the tagging part,” said Montalvo. “Our crew (or group of graffiti artists) is the only art school we have and that’s the way it’s been.”
In September 2007, the Los Angeles River was the site for “Meeting of Styles,” a graffiti art event sponsored by the Friends of the Los Angeles River and Crewest Gallery that drew about a thousand people.
“Graffiti has existed in the river since the river was built. Graffiti has existed in the city since the city was built,” said Alex Poli, a prolific graffiti artist known around the world as “Man One.” Poli is also owns Crewest, L.A.’s only graffiti art gallery. “We turned the place that nobody ever visited into a tourist attraction,” said Poli, who received permission from the city to host the event.
According to Poli, the event went off without a hitch: no problems at all.
Poli said the problems came after the event when county officials decided to paint over the graffiti artists’ work, despite it being permitted.
“This was a Crewest project and Crewest did everything by the book,” said Lewis MacAdams, Friends of the Los Angeles River’s chairman of the board. “What [the artists] did was magnificent and [the county] vandalized it.”
The county not only painted over the work, they billed Friends of the Los Angeles River $10,000 for the “damage.”
“As long as you have concrete you’re going to have people painting over it,” said MacAdams. “This is one of L.A.’s great traditions, its outdoor art.”
Poli feels that having open art spaces would be good for youths to try their hand at art and develop their skills without being harassed by the community.
“There was a point where skateboarding was illegal and then the county built skate parks. Why can’t they build art parks?” asks Poli. “If something becomes a legal zone for graffiti and painting, then the city can control [the area.] The city can set rules and regulations.”
And while the city struggles to contain graffiti, graffiti artists continue to vie for recognition. While there is no guarantee illegal graffiti art will decrease if legal open spaces increase, there is hope.
As it stands today, however, graffiti art on private and public property without a proper permit continues to be illegal, according to Monica Valencia, Councilman Reyes’ press deputy.
As to whether the city and graffiti artists can finally come up with a solution, it appears the writing may be on the wall.
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August 13, 2009 Copyright © 2012 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.
Comments
2 Responses to “Graffiti Artists Look Toward Los Angeles River for a Canvas”
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Graffiti is just that graffiti. A lot of it is from gangs and that breeds crime. Ed Reyes does not have the courage to stay the truth about why it is illegal and why it should be stopped.
“If we’re going with a public zone where anything goes, that’s a policy question and we would have to ask the stakeholders (of the Los Angeles River), and the graffiti artists would be stakeholders,” said Councilman Ed Reyes (CD-1).
You can see that he does not even take a position on the issue or any other issue.
To the writer: a responsible writer would have attempted to contact a County representative regarding the L.A. River fiasco that happened a couple of years ago. To get one side of story and present it as fact is not responsible and should be pointed out. There was graffiti beyond the permitted zone as well as so many other disputed issues that made this a very touchy subject for all. Someone initially painted over some of the graffiti, the County nor the City owned up to this, yet the writers assumed it was some government entitiy. I tend to believe that it was a anti-graffiti vigalante group.
And another thing, please refrain from using the over-used cliche when discussing graffiti “the writings on the wall”, especially if you don’t understand its meaning. It usually means that something is fairly obvious, yet you use it in your last sentance as something that is uncertain.