One of the Longest Murals in the World The Great Wall of Los Angeles

[robertpaulsen]

One of the Longest Murals in the World – The Great Wall of Los Angeles

Walking along the Tujunga Wash concrete basin in the San Fernando Valley community of Valley Glen, Neek and I were impressed with the enormity of the mural painted on the 13 feet high concrete sides. This is The Great Wall of Los Angeles, one of the longest murals in the world at 2,754 feet (839.42 meters) in length, stretching over six city blocks! Officially titled The History of California, this amazing work of art reminded me thematically of the book A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

For those of you who have not read it, A People’s History of the United States is not just a history book; it is a rich tapestry of stories spotlighting groups of people often neglected in ‘official’ history books. Zinn covers the 200+ year history of the nation through the perspective of ethnic minorities, women, and the working poor. Some of these stories can be seen in The Great Wall of Los Angeles, which takes that same perspective, but focuses on California.

The visionary artist behind this is Judith Francisca Baca. A UCLA professor, activist and co-founder of The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), Baca was hired by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1974 to improve the Tujunga Wash, which was considered an eyesore.

She had an idea to paint a history of Los Angeles from the days of the dinosaurs to 1910. A team of 80 youths from the juvenile justice program, ten artists and five historians collaborated under Baca’s direction to complete the first 1,000 feet, nine panels of murals in 1976.

read more at...

https://lexandneek.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/one-of-the-longest-murals-in-the-world-the-great-wall-of-los-angeles/

Or watch our video journey through The Great Wall of Los Angeles:

[robertpaulsen]

1. Some pictures we took there.