Mark MauerAssociated Press has a story on Yahoo News this morning about the permitted artwork along the Arroyo Seco that went up last year during the Meeting of Styles, which brought together graffiti artists from across the country.
According to their reporting, “The county has given organizers until Wednesday to whitewash the mural, and neither side is backing down.”
Not everyone was pleased, however, with the results of the civic-minded effort, which had the city's blessing but has rekindled debates over whether Los Angeles County should condone a practice it pays millions to combat.
Some politicians protested that parts of the mural are obscene and have attracted gang-related tags in a city where graffiti already mars homes, sidewalks and buildings.
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The story on Yahoo is currently one of the most popular stories on the web, which means literally millions of people are reading about this. The article also makes it clear that the project was legally approved ahead of time, and it was only after it was completed that County Supervisor Gloria Molina demanded the murals be whitewashed , “complaining that some of the images were inappropriate for a public art display.”
L.A. Weekly's Matthew Flesicher reported on the fight between Molina and the event's organizer ManOne in January.
After the jump, pictures of the lurid murals that so offended Molina's sense of decency, and Gloria Molina's contact info.
Oh the horrors. Shield your eyes!
From the AP article: “In mid-October, some of the murals were whitewashed without warning. Molina and the Department of Public Works denied involvement, but in December, Molina got the county Board of Supervisors to pass an emergency motion giving the Friends of the Los Angeles River 90 days to paint over the murals or pay up to $70,000 for their removal.”
Below you can see one of the murals being painted as well as what happened after someone whitewashed out part of the piece.
Before.
After.
Want to let Gloria Molina know your feelings about the art? Contact her! Email: molina@bos.lacounty.gov
Phone: (213) 974-4111
Fax: (213) 613-1739
Lurker was there the day the event took place, and has lots of pictures. Check em out below:
Meeting of Style, L.A. River
Meeting of Styles, 2nd Batch
Meeting of Styles, 3rd Batch
End of the Arroyo
All photos by Mark Mauer
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