Spreading the Love One Mural at a Time

Article By Courtney Daly-Pavone

We want to “Empower the community with color,” said Edwin Lohr of the Avenue Mural Project in City Heights. City Heights has eight murals on University Avenue including the latest design “Love” which was created by Rubin Rojas and Tyler Church from Beautify Earth, a non-profit in the Los Angeles area.

According to Edwin, the purpose of these murals was to deter graffiti, and create a sense of unity in the community. That unity came in the form of the com- munity helping the artist paint the mural on the back of a 7-Eleven convenience store. 7-Eleven on 35th Street and University Avenue not only supplied the wall, but also provided electricity, water and space, but the Avenue Mural Project isn’t stopping there.

City Heights a New Mecca for Artists

According to Lohr, “We are attempting to brand this section of University AVENUE (805 to 15) and feel this mural project can go a long way to establish an art and cultural district. We have had over $20,000 worth of murals go on the walls in this area. A lot of the artists want to make a difference with their own artistic abilities and not charge. We have been able to acquire some funds to pay other artists a small stipend.”

Through art comes inspiration, artists have histori- cally changed communities for the better. New York’s Soho was once downtrodden until artists moved into the neighborhood looking for inexpensive large spaces to rent where they could create art. Their presence and enhancements in the community opened the doors for others to follow, and the rest is history. City Heights just might follow in their footsteps one mural at a time…

Additional information can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/LoveCityHeightsBlockParty/

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Carlos Quezada at 619-538-1742 or email at lovecityheights@gmail.com.