{"id":29502,"date":"2015-08-06T19:13:35","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T01:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=29502"},"modified":"2018-09-09T14:02:41","modified_gmt":"2018-09-09T20:02:41","slug":"west-jordan-mural-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/west-jordan-mural-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"West Jordan Mural Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cThis is outrageous,\u201d erupts Chicana artist Ruby Chacon on Facebook about the West Jordan mural set-to. \u201cWhat are people thinking?!?! Seriously . . . I don\u2019t get this mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who haven\u2019t followed the probably-only-in-Utah story, widely covered by media, it goes something like this \u2013 many details likely recalled from reading Ben Trentelman\u2019s excellent story in Slug<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Miguel Galaz, a young artist who teaches kids at Mana Academy Charter School, wanted them to learn things like color theory and all that artistic stuff by tapping into their obvious interest in the graffiti that surrounds them in West Jordan. A friend had opened a restaurant there, Taqueria Azteca De Oro, 7800 S. 3200 West, in a rundown, graffiti-covered building, and Galaz saw an opportunity to show his students that art could enhance walls in the same way as spray paint: He wanted them to participate in creating a painting, at his friend\u2019s request, to beautify the exterior of the popular new eatery.<\/p>\n

He also saw an opportunity to acquaint his students and community memebers with their cultural heritage by featuring portraits of the founders of the United Farm Workers movement, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who made the nation aware of the struggles of those workers, notably during the 1960s, for better pay and safer working conditions. (Think grape boycotts; nonviolence \u2013 pickets, strikes; a symbolic Aztec eagle, which also appears on the mural.)<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a stunning piece of work. Individual students (of several cultures, including Anglo) designed letters spelling \u201cCultural\u201d on one side of the building. There are other messages, such as \u201cSi Se Puede\u201d \u2013 Yes We Can \u2013 near the portraits. There is a remarkable depth to the portraits on the mural, rich color and certainly originality. There is a manifest sense of pride \u2013 and good reason for it.<\/p>\n

But there were, of course, complaints. The kids took their share of racist jabs from passersby as they worked. And the city, for some reason, decided the artistic endeavor fell under the definition of \u201csignage\u201d and therefore could cover no more than 15 percent of the building\u2019s fa\u00e7ade. So that it must be painted over or be subject to a $100-per-day fine to the restaurant owner \u2013 who couldn\u2019t afford it. This is, after all, just a taqueria \u2013 albeit reportedly quite a good one.
\nGalaz decided to fight city hall and ran into the usual red tape. He attended a West Jordan City Council meeting (wisely first contacting the media); the city then decided to give him 30 days to work on changing the existing code, allowed the mural to remain and withheld the fine until matters get settled.<\/p>\n

This may turn out in Galaz\u2019s favor, given the publicity the potential mural paint-over has gotten and the resulting community support the artwork and its artist have received during a recent rally and, particularly, on social media.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not over yet.<\/p>\n

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Chacon says she hopes the city ordinance is changed to accommodate this \u201cbeautification through public art,\u201d that is encouraged in some Utah communities. Though she now resides in Sacramento, Calif., the former Salt Lake City artista<\/em> has murals in her hometown at 500 N. 600 West, 300 S. 745 East, a just-completed project at Horizonte Instruction & Training Center, 1234 S. Main , and elsewhere. She, too, frequently collaborates with students and community members.<\/p>\n

As Chacon observes, “It’s essential to create a counter-narrative in order to create a sense of belonging and defy stereotypes perpetuated by fear. Public art is a perfect way to do so. This is why I support this public-art piece. It empowers and dignifies an underrepresented history for not only this community but it also reshapes Utah’s history to be more inclusive.”<\/p>\n