Estrada CourtsMurals of Estrada Courts Location Description Photos: © Robin Dunitz A. GIVE ME LIFE B. Untitled Charles Felix 1973 3359 1/2 Olympic Blvd. 32' x 24' Red and green depiction of an ancient stone relief from El Tajin, the ancient capital of a civilization near present-day Veracruz, Mexico. C. Untitled Charles Felix 3341 Olympic Blvd. 32' x 24' Repetitive geometric pattern, which resembles an angular honeycomb. D. Untitled Charles Felix 3331 Olympic Blvd. 32' x 24' Same as C. above (3341 Olympic Boulevard) except for colors. E. Untitled Charles Felix 1975 3333 1/2 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Looks like a sea of amoeba-like micro-organisms. F. Untitled Los Ninos del Mundo (Kids of the World) 3327 1/2 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Potpourri of shapes, primarily in green, yellow, and blue. G. CREATIONS OF MAN Los Ninos del Mundo (Kids of the World) 1974 3301 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Potpourri of shapes, primarily in blue and brownish-red. H. THE SUN BATHERS Goez (Gil Hernandez) 1973 3287 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Bathers with their feet projecting forward a la Mexican master David Alfaro Siqueiros (whose portrait is also in the mural). I. DREAMS OF FLIGHT The artist's first solo mural reveals some of his childhood fantasies. photo © Robin Dunitz J. THE ARTIST Daniel Haro 1973 3237 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' K. MORATORIUM: THE BLACK AND WHITE MURAL A black-and-white photo-realist montage portraying the 1970 anti-Vietnam War Chicano Moratorium, as well as imagery condemning police brutality in the barrio. In 1980 Herron returned to paint (in color) he and his wife embracing in the mural's lower right corner. L. WE ARE NOT A MINORITY M. INNOCENCE Norma Montoya 1973 3201 Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' N. TWO FLAGS Sonny Ramirez 1973 1364-6 Grande Vista Ave. at Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 2 panels, 50' x 24' A man holding flags and a baby standing on an Olmec head. O. Untitled Manuel Gonzalez 1973 1372 Grande Vista Ave. at Olympic Blvd. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Depiction of a sculpture of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc. P. Untitled The Muralistics 1976 3207 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) 32' x 24' Landscape of the moon reflecting off water. Q. Untitled Tony Nunez 1976 3227 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Landscape with bears. R. Untitled Charles Felix 3231 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Group of lions. S. Untitled Eduardo Ortiz, David Cruz, J. Pasillas, and friends 1975 3247 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Landscape with river. T. Untitled Indio and V. Cholo 1975 3281 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Leopard crouching in a tree. U. SLEEPING WOMAN'S DREAM Norma Montoya 1974 3307 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Radiating sun above a fantasy landscape. V. Untitled Richard Haro 1977 3335 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Outer space. W. Untitled Frank Lopez 1973 3347 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Portraits of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy in front of an American flag. Between the two men is an eerie list of comparisons. X. Untitled Royal Chicano Air Force 1977 3355 Olympic Blvd. (facing parking lot) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' The theme is support for the United Farmworkers Union. Y. Untitled P. Rochas and Roger Provencio 1974 3351 Olympic Blvd. (facing parking lot) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Mountain with road zigzagging to the top. Z. Untitled artist unknown 3339 1/2 Olympic Blvd. (facing parking lot) Portrait of Pancho Villa on about a third of the wall. AA. Untitled Judithe Hernandez 1976 3315 Olympic Blvd. (inside quad) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Two women under a tree in front of a small house. This mural is unfinished. AB. Untitled Daniel Martinez and crew 1974 3311 Olympic Blvd. (inside quad) Acrylic, 32' x 24' Great white shark with a diver in his mouth. AC. Untitled Estrada youth 3275 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Landscape with deer. AD. Untitled artist unknown 3264 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Peacock with other animals around the edges of its plumage. AE. Untitled Ernesto de la Loza 1975 3240 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Pastel-hued landscape. AF. Untitled Daniel Haro 1982 3234 Olympic Blvd. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Horses in a natural setting. AG. Untitled Quiroz 1352 Grande Vista Ave. (at Glenn Ave.) Shadowy foreshortened figures. (Unfinished) AH. ZODIAC Charles Felix 1976 3250 Glenn Ave. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Signs of the zodiac in a circle around the sun. AI. AMERICAN CONCERT Tony Nunez and local youth 1974 3254 Glenn Ave. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' AJ. OCEAN FANTASY The Muralistics 3280 Glenn Ave. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24'' The centerpiece is an old sailing ship with billowing sails. AK. Untitled Charles Felix 3265 Glenn Ave. (facing parking lot) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Eyes in the upper center, animal horns in rainbow colors below. AL. ORALE RAZA Frank Fierro 1974-1979 1319 Lorena St. 32' x 24' The title means Raza, all right! Repeated image of a man raising his arm, plus a child smiling and a rose dropping a petal. AM. LA FIESTA Roberto Chavez and students from East Los Angeles College c.1973 3370-3372 1/2 Hunter St. (facing parking lot) 50' x 24', 2 panels Festive party with music and skeletons (calaveras). AN. Untitled El Congreso de Artistas Cosmicos de las Americas de San Diego (Mario Torero, Rocky, El Lton, Zade) 3340 1/2 Hunter St. (facing parking lot) 32' x 24' Three people--a couple on the right and a man alone on the left. AO. OLYMPIA Charles Felix 1976 3310 Hunter St. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Memorial to those killed during the 1976 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany, and in Mexico City in 1968. AP. Untitled Artist unknown 1326 Concord St. (walkway) War Gods; they are partly painted out at the bottom. AQ. METAMORPHOSIS David Rivera, George Menchaca, Louie Lopez, Jaime Rodriguez, Alberto Rincon 1977 1336 Concord St. (at Glenn Ave.) Fantasy featuring butterfly-like people. AR. Untitled Daniel Haro 1983 3316 Hunter St. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Three hot air balloons AS. TRIBUTE TO THE FARMWORKERS Alexandro C. Maya 1974 1311 Lorena St. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' The United Farmworkers Union flag being raised over cultivated fields by modern day agricultural workers, a Spanish soldier from the era of the Conquest, and a pre-Columbian Native American. AT. Untitled Norma Montoya 3364 1/2 Hunter St. (walkway) Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Many kinds of fish swimming underwater. AU. Untitled artist unknown 3318 Hunter St. (walkway) Landscape with waterfall and pre-Columbian images in the sky. AV. IF WE COULD SHARE Lydia Dominguez 1976 3322 1/2 Hunter St. (near Concord St.) AW. IN MEMORY OF A HOMEBOY Daniel Martinez 1973 3328 Hunter St. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Memorial for another victim of gang violence. AX. Untitled artist unknown 3356 1/2 Hunter St. Headless horseman fighting a bull. (Unfinished) AY. Untitled Sandy (resident youth) 1974 3384 1/2 Hunter St. Acrylic on stucco, 32' x 24' Two Indian chiefs facing each other. AZ. Untitled Steve Delgado 1973 1301 Lorena St. (at Hunter) 32' x 24' Virgin of Guadalupe. A Future without Cars? People, Bikes and Community in the 21st Century by James Rojas On Friday November 7, 2008 I participated in Antioch's University daylong workshop "A Future without Cars? People, Bikes, and Community in the 21st Century" held in Culver City. For this workshop I developed an Interactive Pedestrian Exercise. This hour and half exercise taught participants to examine, experience, and create a pedestrian environment. The varied ages and ethnicity of the thirty plus participants offered a diverse perspective on creating the car free city. The workshop began with a brief lecture on the Experience of Place: the Difficulties of Creating a Pedestrian Environment. I informed the students of challenges involved with developing pedestrian infrastructure. The task to create a pedestrian landscape sounds simple, but individual perception plays a critical roll in its success. We experience the world through our sense and the street is no different. Factors such as climate, noise, smell, and overall comfort are important to pedestrians. In addition, people walk for different reasons. People walk for utilitarian reasons, for recreation, sightseeing, exercise, and just to think. It's because pedestrians are on the streets for different reasons that makes creating ideal walking environments so complicated. It's easier for us to construct freeways because they are designed for vehicles, which care very little about the environment. And the drivers of these vehicles are more interested in getting to where they have to go than enjoying their driving environment. After all, a comfortable seat, air conditioning, and their favorite tunes are all the artificial environment needed while driving a car. The forty-five minute walk audit to the adjacent park and intersection of Motor and Overland Streets allowed participants to experience a comfortable and uncomfortable walking environment. The park illustrated a comfortable walking zone. We walked through the park and stopped under a clump of tress. The green foliage of the park cooled us down as well as the shade from the trees. Walking on the grass felt like carpet. The clump of trees buffered the sounds of the cars moving on the street allowing us to have a brief discussion of the environment. The intersection of Motor and Overland illustrated an uncomfortable walking zone. The concrete side walk is hard to walk on and was narrow so people had to walk in almost a strait line. The street was lined with palm trees, parking meters and electric poles. There were no shade trees so the black asphalt made the walk very hot. The noise from the moving cars was very loud preventing people from speaking to each other. A gas station, small businesses and multi family structures lined one side of the street while a fence with nice landscaping lined the other side. These land uses did not support walking. By the end of this walk people were exhausted and could not wait to get back to the auditorium. With this brief walk, participants experienced the realities of being a pedestrian. The one hour Never-Before-Seen Car Free Workshop allowed the participants to apply what they have experienced with their own personal backgrounds in creating a pedestrian landscape. The task was to develop a pedestrian environment with supporting activities, amenities and structures because I wanted them to understand the critical role land use patterns have on transportation. The participants were arranged around tables of four to five. Each table was provided with trays of materials and a twelve inch foam core square to create their landscape. They were given twenty minutes to create their visions and after this was done they were given a minute to explain there creation. Participants provided in-depth, personal information through their 3-d model building from selection of materials, placement, mapping, and the narratives they used to explain their creations. Participants used the materials in varying scales that allowed them to illustrate their points. Some participants walked us through their space to others that had large scale conceptual plans. From the placement of benches, and trees alongside a path, to relocating city hall, homes and stores connectivity was important. Mapping was a critical part of the models for creating a pedestrian landscape. These techniques are reminiscent of Kevin Lynch's mapping exercises in "Image of a City", because we begin to see patterns develop amongst participants. The ideas were so varied, yet very similar in capturing the experience of place. They create both real and fantasy worlds. People generally wanted interesting, comfortable pedestrian environments which were illustrated in many ways. Senior citizens generally wanted benches, lightings, and creature comforts which help the walk. The analogy to a Rousseau painting one participant used illustrated the need for nature in the pedestrian realm. The natural elements such as trees, plants were supplemented with the introduction of animals. Many people talked about the need for public art to provide a personal experience to pedestrian zones. Another segment of the group took the opportunity to redesign the streets. They were two to three references to the crooked and narrow streets of medieval European cities which they felt promoted walking. Still another group took the opportunity to create plazas and centers for social activity. These spaces were designed to facilitate mobility with a sense of civic identity and social interaction by people who used them. Another concept from the group was how this exercise allowed them to restructure society. The street was a way of educating at risk youth on how the government system works. The pedestrian street was less about the experiences of place and more about creating a utopian vision. Lessons Learned The interactive pedestrian exercise was a very effective method for participants to examine and create a pedestrian zone because they experienced and created it. This method allows them to use their senses on urban planning issues and the model building helps increases their design fluency. This method allows for the public to "speak" first rather than be spoken to. It makes people feel part of the process. Everyone participates regardless of background, language or age barriers. As a researcher, it helps to understand how different age groups, ethnicities, genders, and professions perceive the same project. While this was a transportation project to some, it becomes a way of restructuring life for others. As architects, planners and policy makers, it is important to gather information and understand the interpretation of projects and policies. As a community member it is important to understand the neighbor's personal perspectives on how to view the work. Lastly, this engaging exercise makes everyone feel good.
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