On September 1, 2009 federal stimulus money was used by the Army Corps of Engineers to buff the Los Angeles River of graffiti. In doing so, they white washed an important part of L.A.’s artistic history. Key among the pieces that were destroyed was a work by the artist SABER; artwork recognized by many worldwide as the largest graffiti masterpiece. Created in 1997 on the sloping concrete banks off the 5 freeway, the piece measured 250’ x 55’ – nearly the size of an NFL football field – and took 97 gallons of paint. Most large-scale graffiti in the L.A. River, such as the MTA roller (also recently buffed) are straightforward two color blocks. What made Saber’s piece world famous (beyond it’s impressive scale and staying power) was that it was a complex full color piece. Few beyond the graffiti scene truly appreciate the dangerous logistics of getting the artist and his supplies to that site, much less the technical and artistic skill required to create such a large piece on an angled surface. This historic artwork has become such a landmark on the LA River that SABER has been featured in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s exhibition “L.A.: light / motion / dreams” in 2004-2005 and KCET’s Departures series about the river this past July.
We in Los Angeles are no strangers to having our art history destroyed, from the whitewashing of David Alfaro Siqueiros’s Olvera Street mural “La América Tropical” in 1932-33 to Kent Twitchell’s mural “Ed Ruscha Monument,” painted over in June 2006. Of course, the big difference here is the Getty Conservation Institute is unlikely to fund a multi-million dollar restoration (as in the case of the Siqueiros mural); nor is SABER likely to win a $1.1 million dollar settlement under the Federal Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) or the California Art Preservation Act (CAPA) as Twitchell did in 2008. You might think that is because the piece by SABER was illegal, but recent history suggests otherwise.
In 2007, the graffiti gallery Crewest, along with help from the activist group Friends of the L.A. River (FoLAR) organized “Meeting of Styles: LA.” The event brought together over 100 graffiti artists to spray paint a 10,000 square foot section of the L.A. River at the Arroyo Seco Confluence in Highland Park. Despite the fact that the organizers secured all necessary permits for the mural project, and that the event was fully licensed by the county; supervisor Gloria Molina objected to the work after the fact and introduced an emergency measure to the County Board of Supervisors that forced the mural to be whitewashed from the flood walls. A spokeswoman for Molina called the legal graffiti murals a “public nuisance and a potential safety hazard,” and justified Molina’s decision to introduce the mural’s removal by saying the county was “trying to save lives.” That is because unlike any other form of public art, people believe that graffiti art is dangerous, that is ruins neighborhoods and turns juvenile delinquents into criminals. At no point does anyone stop to think that they are looking at a generation of artists who have grown up within a public school system stripped of arts education, and in a physical environment that seems to have no problem with the proliferation of illegal advertising billboards and super-graphics. Graffiti artists and supporters have pushed hard to create legal public spaces for people to paint, but one by one places like the Venice Walls and Belmont Yard have been destroyed, as charges for vandalism went from misdemeanors to felonies. Yet those corporate interests have no problem stealing the intellectual property of those artists in order to market to the youth.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included $6.5 million to ensure structural integrity, remove graffiti and manage vegetation along the Los Angeles River. Graffti abatement is a popular ploy for politicians, able to point to the stark visual change it produces and claim that real improvment is being made. However, they don’t seem to understand that providing a newly buffed surface is only an invitation to graffiti writers who know that the politicains will inevitably turn their backs on the river once again. While buffing the river may create a few immediate jobs, I fail to see how this money works toward the Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan’s worthy goal of transforming a more than 30-mile stretch of the L.A. River into a greenbelt linking communities. I hope one day that the powers that be recognize that graffiti art, such as Saber’s historic river piece, are as important to linking communities and the health of the L.A. River as the meaning of “traditionally navigable waters” is.
– Post From PS: the Public Square.
Great job.
Well said. Very sad that this piece is gone. It’s fame and cultural significance will far outlive any beaucrat and/or politician. I hope these guys out there buffing in the heat are getting paid well 837k is a lot of bread. I bet the boss likes that bonus!
Thank you Mr.Obama
@Daniel: i dont think Obmama had much of a say in this…why dont you go blame the Army Corps of Engineers, who obviously dont understand the importance and beauty of graffiti art.
Rough! You know good and well this was a few terrible people who initiated this. You know good and well that the majority of the people who see these places on the LA River love the art – follow the trail of low expectations.
[...] Saber Blog » Whitewashing the L.A. River saberone.com/blog/2009/09/09/whitewashing-the-la-river-2 – view page – cached On September 1, 2009 federal stimulus money was used by the Army Corps of Engineers to buff the Los Angeles River of graffiti. In doing so, they white washed an important part of L.A.’s artistic history. Key among the pieces that were destroyed was a work by the artist SABER; artwork recognized by many worldwide as the largest graffiti masterpiece. Created in 1997 on the sloping concrete banks off the 5 freeway, the piece measured 250’ x 55’ – nearly the size of an NFL football field – and took 97 gallons of paint. — From the page [...]
Fuck that shit.. saber has got something up his sleeve… he is fucking SABER!!!
It’s the simple fact that LA got a piece of the pie…a LARGE sum of money,& didn’t know how to implement it. Like a hustler from the street who becomes a rapper & makes it big…NO Fing idea of how to manage the money, & spends it on CRAP, or gold teeth (whatever).. Army Corps of Engineers,lucky them, hit a mini jackpot.. well just an FYI for you, Engineers do not have much common sense to begin with, what did you think they where gonna do? Pick up trash? Plant flowers, replace fencing, help the homeless living there? No these smart guys painted a wall! And to make it worse, a wall that was ALREADY painted. And to make it even more of a rib shot, a wall that was done to bring beauty and inspiration to a dull,drab and lonely place. You think people just walk around with 97 gallons of paint in their hands in hopes they will find a house to paint? NO! the only thing this beauty was missing was a frame! The point of Army Corps actions? There isn’t one, honestly there isn’t, got funds used the funds. You really think Obama had it in his head when he gave out “help” money that they where gonna go & paint over already painted walls of ART….hell no! That was far from his mind. He is not to blame. Now that there is a freshly painted white shiny wall available what do you think is gonna happen? The lil crew of Army Corps, didn’t make a improvement, they bought us 6.5million $$ canvas.
another example of mind-boggling federal stupidity.
these hare-brained bureaucrats are obviously products of said school system stripped of arts education. they didn’t even think of painting it over with a large homeland security logo …
fuck him up saber ha ha but why don’t you do a nicer piece on that white canvas man that would be a madddd comeback!
[...] a big buzz on many graf-art websites about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ use of federal stimulus funds to [...]
Yo, cats gotta stop thinking one-dimensional and shit….
none of the graf on the trains in nyc is still around. and once the trains were being buffed on the regular, niggas started hitting the streets more and more, overpasses, storegates, highways….move on, because when you take away one thing you create something new.
mosesone – strong island/brooklyn
No one is thinking one-dimensional…….people are just stating their anger and sadness…..peeps are actully mournful that Saber’s 12yr run on this paticular piece has come to a end. It will forever live onthe internet and in the Guninnes Book of world records andof course in our minds and hearts. The graf piece was of a symbol of thinking outside the box…then just a wall w/ some pretty colored paint. L.A has pieces all over the place in ( and on )the types of places mosesone named & more. The main concern here are these “hare-brained bureaucrats” as dsuker beautifully put it.. that are more like morons then a public service leaders… when it comes to implementing funds & resources into our city to supposedly make it better and “heathier for living”, not to mention the lack of common sence when it comes to graf clean up & the buffing of walls or anything for that matter, that doesn’t seem to bother anyone but the morons that call the shots FOR a city… IN a city… far far AWAY from the one in which they DON’T LIVE!
Our schools need help or libraries need help…even our freakin roads need help BUT our walls do not need help. Why is it ok to do the same piece on a public school gym wall but not ok on a river wall where the only place you can actully get a clear visual is from the freeway or a freakin satalite! The buffing is not going to “box” the thinking of our artists, they will continue the thrive and create on any surface, in anyplace and continue to out do the next.
[...] Saber Blog » Whitewashing the L.A. RiverYet those corporate interests have no problem stealing the intellectual property of those artists in order to market to the youth. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included $6.5 million to ensure structural integrity, … Rough! You know good and well this was a few terrible people who initiated this. You know good and well that the majority of the people who see these places on the LA River love the art – follow the trail of low expectations. … read more… [...]
Saber should do another piece there, except make it about TWICE AS FUCKING BIG!!!!!!!!!
SERPO
[...] Whitewashing the L.A. River [...]
breen
[...] Read the rest of the article by Piper Severance HERE. [...]
THIS IS BULLSHIT WE SHOULD DECIDE WHAT OUR STIMULAS MONEY GOES TO NOT REMOVE ART FROM A CITY