The writing on the walls
Like the 405 expressway, creative types jam the Los Angeles landscape. Graffiti artists, particularly, flock to Venice, finding refuge in the artsy oceanside community. However, graffiti — from grand, elaborate murals to smaller, less-planned “tags” — often has been an unwelcome guest in the tourist area, frequently drawing complaints from residents. To address the issue, a local arts organization and the city have implemented a pilot program to curb graffiti vandalism, while creating safe, legal places for high-quality graffiti art.
Two large concrete walls, the remains of the Venice Pavilion, a 1960s-era Los Angeles landmark, are at the center of the program. Situated near the oceanfront in an area nearly overrun with tourists every weekend, the Venice Public Art Walls are decorated by so many graffiti artists that the murals change multiple times each day, one painted over another. “The volume down there, to me, indicates a need,” says Stash Maleski, founder and director of In Creative Unity (ICU), which serves as the curator of the walls. “There’s so many people painting, and it says, ‘This is a valuable resource for these artists.’ They don’t necessarily want to break the law…hang off a freeway sign or get shot at by a gang. They just want to paint.”
The Venice Pavilion, which housed an outdoor amphitheater, was always adorned with graffiti and became a world-renowned site for the painting style. In the late 1990s, in an effort to restore Venice’s oceanfront walk, the city wanted to demolish the pavilion, including its “Graffiti Pit.” But, graffiti’s decades-long presence in the community prompted organizations to take action. “We had community members, [businesses], residents [and] scholars come and testify and write letters to say, ‘Whatever happens to this pavilion, please save some portion of the walls as a memorial to the graffiti that’s been here for 20 years,’” Maleski says.
Affected by the support for the walls, the California Coastal Commission ordered that they remain, and the city’s Cultural Affairs and Parks and Recreation Department gave ICU the task of instituting a program to manage the site. Artists were required to submit sketches of what they would paint on the walls, and volunteers supervised the site. But, some graffiti artists felt limited by the restrictions, so ICU removed some of its guidelines to encourage them to continue painting. Despite those efforts, the elaborate murals that once filled the walls were diminishing and, by 2003, volunteers no longer supervised the area.
Graffiti began to spread beyond the oceanside area into residential and business districts, prompting complaints from residents. ICU responded with a new idea to attract artists to paint the pavilion’s walls instead.
Last month, ICU launched the program with “Paint Out,” an event for artists to paint the walls under the organization’s new guidelines. With more than 750 people in attendance, “Paint Out” was deemed a success. “A lot of people still love these walls as a symbol of free expression and art,” Maleski says. Now, artists can paint only during two sessions on Saturdays and Sundays, and only after submitting their ideas and obtaining a permit from ICU. The organization hopes the new program will encourage the return of the detailed graffiti art that once flourished in Venice.
Various city departments — including the Department of Public Works, the Venice Arts Council, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Parks and Recreation — comprise an advisory board that assists ICU with the walls. The city council also has contributed $15,000 to help with the organization’s efforts. “That, to me, is very encouraging,” Maleski says. “That partnership is sort of the key to making it work.”
