L.A. CONTRACT ARTISTS' BTX MURAL DRAWS LOCAL OUTRAGE

(The homeless man sitting on the sidewalk watching L.A. artists doesn't seem too impressed at the work going on the wall of the abandoned Capitol Theater building on 13th Street and Levee. Neither, apparently, are local commenters on Jim Barton's Brownsville Observer blog. We post this with the blogger's permission.)

 "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town and among his own relatives and in his own household." Matthew 6:4

By Jim Barton
Brownsville Observer

Substitute "artist" for prophet in the above quote and you might get a sense of how local artists, muralists, feel being passed over by Mayor Trey Mendez and City of Brownsville Swiss Army Knife Ramiro Gonzalez to create murals downtown. (At right during a wedding in Portugal.)

In a city veritably teeming with artists, muralists like Gabriel Trevino and others, Mayor Trey Mendez and his art-choosing designate Ramiro Gonzalez bypassed local talent for a Los Angeles muralist.

The snub might have been tolerable had the new mural been creative, reflective of Brownsville culture, but, to many observers, the final result looks like a minimal effort by someone who has little understanding or identification with our city.

Going out of Brownsville for art to accentuate Brownsville is like going to New York to buy salsa.

It makes zero sense.

Facebook lit up with complaints. We publish a small sampling below:

Dianne Maurice: "Why not local artists? Our ppl need jobs. Plus, that mural doesn't even look that good. Waste of bloody money!!!"

Dorian Abrego Moreno: "Que pinche mural is that? La Cagaron!"

Marti Etheridge: "The 80's called and said they want their t-shirt print back. WTF is that?"

Xandra Trevino: "Super embarrassing. Our city officials are out of touch."

Gabriel Mendoza: "The artist said in an interview that he was going to paint something that, when you see it, it'll bring happiness and you'll be proud of Brownsville. They already have the artist selected to do the remaining murals, but nobody local yet."

Erica Stacey Garcia: "Somebody had tagged the mayor about the mural not too long ago and he said the remaining two walls were to be done by local artists. I guess he lied pffft."

Gabriel Mendoza: "Yes he did."

John E. Lopes: "Seriously, like for real y'all? What in the living shit is this? And in a place that's so full of real talent. Was the muralist drunk?"

Erica Stacey Garcia: "No shoot dood. A fucking 5th grader could have done a better job and it would have only cost us the paint."

Rich Cherry: "This is lame! I could have done better than that."

Adrienne Tovar: "This is hideous."

http://brownsvilleobserver.blogspot.com/