Her Mural Story: Taking Action to Preserve Culture - Video

Panelists: Yreina D. Cervántez, Barbara Carrasco, and Audrey Chan
Moderators: Jessica Hough, Liza Posas

Muralists working in public spaces risk having their artworks lost to whitewashing, censorship, demolition, or neglect—erasing them from history. Further, murals made by female identifying artists are less prevalent making them all the more valuable to telling her story in the future. During this program we’ll speak with mural artists—Barbara Carrasco, Yreina D. Cervántez, and Audrey Chan whose murals elevate community stories helping to change dominant narratives and make a more inclusive history. These artworks are important monuments for regional communities as well as for what they contribute to art history. How do we plan now for the eventual loss of these murals? How can we assure that their messages are not lost to history? What archival materials will historians, curators, and community members need to share these works of art in the future? Photographs, letters, drawings, and studio archives are essential to the legacy of these artworks, Chicana/o history, and the fight for racial justice in Los Angeles. We will talk about the ways in which we can protect their messages through the preservation of archival materials.

This conversation is co-presented by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the California Historical Society.