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Los Angeles, never recognized internationally as an arts oasis on par with New York or Paris, is seeking to revive its mural culture that for decades was the city’s most unique and prominent show of creativity. In the last ten years the number of murals on public space has declined precipitously due to costs associated with maintenance and graffiti removal. Meanwhile new murals have essentially been banned on private property as an unintended consequence of efforts to regulate the spread of commercial billboards. In the 1980s murals were defined as “signs” and regulated as such under the LA Department of City Planning. Murals proliferated on public and private space, with an estimated 400 being produced with city collaboration between 1971 and 1999. At the same time commercial billboards, also officially classified as “signs,” sprang up at alarming rates, and the city began to regulate them. In the late 1990s Regency Outdoor Advertising company sued, claiming the city was violating its free speech rights by denying permits for new billboard space while making exceptions for art murals. A judge ruled in favor of Regency, and subsequent actions by the LA City Council to slow the spread of billboards restricted mural art on private buildings. Beginning in 2008, LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich declared a war on illegal billboards to the relief of many neighborhood groups, but his zealous prosecutions extended to fine art murals commissioned on private buildings. Trutanich has gone as far as putting artists in prison for painting commissioned works of art. Meanwhile, the LA City Council, concerned about the dwindling number of murals for a decade, on December 7th unveiled a proposed mural ordinance that it hopes will legally distinguish fine art murals from commercial signs. To ensure the ordinance is drafted with input from the local creative community the group, United Painters and Public Artists or UPPA, has worked extensively with the Department of Planning on the ordinance’s language. UPPA will be present at the first public hearing scheduled for January 10th at LA City Hall.

GUESTS: Members of the United Painters and Public Artists: Lisbeth Espinosa, Community Art Historian, Sonji Mariposa, Muralist and Activist, Raul Gonzalez with Mictlan Murals, has painted over 100 murals throughout Los Angeles

The LA City Council hearing on the new ordinance will take place on January 10th 2012, at 1 pm, at LA City Hall, Room 1020, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles CA 90012.

There will also be an UPPA meeting this Friday to help educate people about the proposed ordinance, ahead of the City Council hearing at Tia Chucha’s at 7 pm, 13197 Gladstone Avenue Sylmar, CA 91342-3246.

To find out more about UPPA, send a text to 310-490-0012.