Los Angeles was once the mural capital of the world. Thousands of murals were painted hereand in nearby cities and countiesin the late twentieth century, most of them by Chicana/o artists. Many appeared as part of el movimiento, the Chicana/o civil rights movement. These works challenged what some people believed about art and society. Instead of working alone, Chicana/o artists often invited community members to help plan and paint. More than decoration, their murals conveyed powerful messages. They called attention to unequal treatment of Mexicans and Mexican Americans; celebrated Chicana/o heritage, history, and neighborhoods; and expressed pride and power. Such qualities threatened people in positions of authority and many responded negatively, endangering Chicana/o murals."

Graffiti, murals, and street art can all act as a form of environmental communication, specifically in communities of color. Los Angeles has a long history of art and activism, and community murals could be found in East LA, Watts, Boyle Heights, Compton, Highland Park, Inglewood and various other low-income and immigrant communities. Tagging and graffiti were also prevalent in these neighborhoods, and was usually attributed to gangs or tagging crews. Either way, these pieces were just as important as community murals in telling the story of specific neighborhoods.

In this assignment, I would like you to find TWO community murals that you believe speak to something the community places great value on. It may commemorate an event (the East LA Blowouts, a riot, a protest), shed light on an injustice, celebrate an important person (Nipsey Hussle, Dolores Huerta), make a political statement, etc. If you see graffiti that you believe captures the neighborhood sentiment (and that is not gang affiliated or just a tag or bomb) then feel free to analyze that. For example, I included some anti-gentrification photos below and one can argue that the graffiti speaks directly to how people of the community are feeling. Whatever you select should be representative (in your opinion) of the heart and mind of the community and therefore, I suggest that you pick a neighborhood that you are familiar with. Be sure to read Light's (2018) article first, so that you may view these pieces with a critical lens. I want you to really critique what you are seeing, and place it in direct context with what you know about the neighborhood. In seeing the mural, what do you make of the message and why? Be sure to substantiate any claims you make. For example, if you happen to select a mural in El Sereno that depicts the Latinx immigrant experience, I would expect you to cite a statistic on how much of that community is comprised of Latinx immigrants. Keep in mind that this is only one example. The second part of the assignment requires you to visit a neighborhood that is either gentrifying, has gentrified, or is affluent and select TWO murals to analyze. Many of the murals in gentrified/gentrifying neighborhoods have been whitewashed and replaced with images that are more aesthetically pleasing and culturally relevant to the demographic that is moving in. Along with displacing low-income (mostly) people of color, gentrification also literally erases their narratives and history by means of art. What I would like you to consider when looking at these murals is if they serve any other purpose than being aesthetically pleasing or "Instagrammable"? Do they capture the same essence as the other community murals you viewed? What message are these murals sending about the neighborhood and the environment?

Appendix of photos of ALL murals (must be a selfie to show you were there) The appendix will not count towards your page requirement Be sure to title each mural in the appendix (for example, Mural A, Mural B, etc.) so that in your write up, you can easily reference it and so that I can look at the appendix and follow along with you Feel free to include photos of anything else that you thought might be interesting Be sure to use and cite Light's (2018) piece , as it is the article your paper should be based on. Include at least 3 additional outside sources and a properly formatted Reference Page or Work Cited page

Please Read the whole thing very well and then answer it and also please looking for Fifteen hundred words.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

It sounds like youre working on a comprehensive assignment that requires careful analysis of community murals in different neighborhoods particularly focusing on their cultural historical and sociopol... View the full answer