In 2015, the California Historical Society and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes embarked on a project for the Getty’s 2017 Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative—a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles from September 2017 to January 2018 at more than 70 cultural institutions across Southern California.
The resulting exhibition, ¡Murales Rebeldes! L.A. Chicana/o Murals under Siege and publication present the dramatic stories of Los Angeles–area Chicana/o murals from the 1970s to the 1990s that were whitewashed, censored, neglected, and even destroyed. These murals challenged inequality and celebrated Chicana/o culture, making them targets of suppression.
Initially, we were drawn to the subject of murals because they connect history, art, identity, and place. We did not know how timely a book and exhibition—with themes of free speech, civil rights, and Chicana/o culture and history—would be. But as the political landscape of our country shifted during the 2016 presidential election, the urgency and importance of our project grew.
Representing these themes are the murals of Barbara Carrasco; Yreina D. Cervántez and Alma López; Roberto Chavez; Ernesto de la Loza; Willie Herrón III; Sergio O’Cadiz Moctezuma; and East Los Streetscapers (David Botello, Wayne Alaniz Healy, and George Yepes). They all endured a lack of recognition—as works of art, as a means of self-expression, and as voices with social, historical, or political relevance. ¡Murales Rebeldes! celebrates their creative spirit, the power of urban art, and truths that must be told.
The California Historical Society, founded in 1871, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire and empower people to make California’s richly diverse past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. Headquartered in San Francisco—with our Los Angeles office at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and Los Angeles outposts at the University of Southern California and the Autry National Center—CHS holds one of the state’s top historical collections, including some of the most cherished and valuable documents and images of California’s past, revealing California’s social, cultural, economic, and political history and development. Through high-quality exhibitions, public programs, publications, research, and preservation, CHS promotes public engagement throughout the state. Contact: info@calhist.org
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a museum and cultural center created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and open to the public since 2011. LA Plaza explores the contributions of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and all Latinos to the Los Angeles of the past, present, and future. These stories come to life through a range of permanent and changing exhibitions as well as educational and public programs. The LA Plaza campus includes two renovated buildings dating back to the 1880s, a large outdoor performance space, and a historic walkway. The campus is located in the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, where the city was settled in 1781. Through its work, LA Plaza celebrates and cultivates an appreciation for the enduring and evolving history, art, and culture of Latinos in Los Angeles. Contact: adelapena@lapca.org
¡Murales Rebeldes! L.A. Chicana/o Murals under Siege is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles, taking place from September 2017 through January 2018 at more than seventy cultural institutions across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty. The presenting sponsor is Bank of America.
Major support for the exhibition and publication provided through grants from the Getty Foundation.
Additional support provided by the Annenberg Foundation and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts.
© Copyright 2017 The California Historical Society. Copyrights to the murals in this website are held by the artists and are used with permission.