More than Graffiti - the Great Wall of LA

Graffiti was beginning to cover this wall behind the San Fernando Valley wash, and story goes that a group of LA Social, Art and City Planners, led by designer Judith Baca, conceived a better destiny for this space and for these budding artists. 

Over 400 community youth participated in the creation of this wall, between the '70s & '80s, which can be found on Coldwater Canyon Ave in Valley Glen. The Wall runs about 1/2 mile between Oxnard and Burbank Blvd.  

The history of California is well-documented in these paintings from pre-historic times to the 1980's, including scenes from the Gold Rush, the Spanish Conquest, both World Wars, the Citrus Industry, Indian Assimilation, Japanese Interment, Dust Bowl Refugees, the Birth of Rock and Roll, Jewish Arts and Sciences and women's roles of these times. Here's just a few of the paintings.