The Quiet Tale of the Campus Mural
Bruna Nessif
Posted on: 6/11/09 Section: Arts
Other students noted on the physical characteristics of the work, despite not knowing its purpose.
"It looks like the artist has a lot to say. It's an interesting concept. It has a nice medium, very fluid, but no idea what it means," said 18-year-old theater major Giselle Gilbert.
"It reminds me of L.A. art, something I would see while I'm on the 101," said 28-year-old liberal arts major Armando Lacayo.
The mural's location is random. It's in the rear of C Building, in between two floors. Some may feel it's out of place, but it is right where it should be. The piece is Chicano work that is displayed in the building where numerous students pass by multiple times a day, and some, learning Chicano Studies.
"The location's obscure, but the C Building is mostly for literature so its good," said 45-year-old music major Pablo Baza.
Some feel that the random location of the artwork gives the campus a sense of spontaneity.
"It's at an unexpected place, but that makes you feel like you never know where you'll run into something at PCC," Lacayo said.
The sad part is that few people know about the mural. They vaguely recall seeing it, but when asked, cannot identify it. Students running up and down those stairs are too busy to notice the art that surrounds their daily life or the work someone put in to convey a message.
The record of the painting on campus is not available. The only information found by Visual Arts and Media Studies Dean Alex Kritselis and the department was that Martinez was awarded a scholarship to UCLA, but refused to go because the Mexican movement spoke against giving in to the system. Martinez took his life to the streets and dedicated himself to doing street art. No one has heard from him since.
With the loss of it's meaning, the public might never know its message. At one point, an artist devoted himself to a canvas, indulging in his art utensils to portray an important time in the history of his culture, and yet it goes unnoticed and undocumented.
The meaning will always be ambiguous. It's lost art, whose history is gone. It will remain a mystery instead of a tool of remembrance and depend on the viewer to carry its significance.
"It looks like the artist has a lot to say. It's an interesting concept. It has a nice medium, very fluid, but no idea what it means," said 18-year-old theater major Giselle Gilbert.
"It reminds me of L.A. art, something I would see while I'm on the 101," said 28-year-old liberal arts major Armando Lacayo.
The mural's location is random. It's in the rear of C Building, in between two floors. Some may feel it's out of place, but it is right where it should be. The piece is Chicano work that is displayed in the building where numerous students pass by multiple times a day, and some, learning Chicano Studies.
"The location's obscure, but the C Building is mostly for literature so its good," said 45-year-old music major Pablo Baza.
Some feel that the random location of the artwork gives the campus a sense of spontaneity.
"It's at an unexpected place, but that makes you feel like you never know where you'll run into something at PCC," Lacayo said.
The sad part is that few people know about the mural. They vaguely recall seeing it, but when asked, cannot identify it. Students running up and down those stairs are too busy to notice the art that surrounds their daily life or the work someone put in to convey a message.
The record of the painting on campus is not available. The only information found by Visual Arts and Media Studies Dean Alex Kritselis and the department was that Martinez was awarded a scholarship to UCLA, but refused to go because the Mexican movement spoke against giving in to the system. Martinez took his life to the streets and dedicated himself to doing street art. No one has heard from him since.
With the loss of it's meaning, the public might never know its message. At one point, an artist devoted himself to a canvas, indulging in his art utensils to portray an important time in the history of his culture, and yet it goes unnoticed and undocumented.
The meaning will always be ambiguous. It's lost art, whose history is gone. It will remain a mystery instead of a tool of remembrance and depend on the viewer to carry its significance.
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Gigi
posted 6/12/09 @ 10:50 PM PST
You're fabulous, Bruna!
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