Prototype Issue
Local Youth Make their Mark on MacArthur Park
By Tom McKenzie
(page 1 of 1)Young students from MacArthur Park Primary School are getting the chance to make a mark in their community with the LA Board of Public Works Community Beautification project.
A 60-by-25 foot mural is being created at the corner of 7th and Lake Ave. by neighborhood first graders and local muralist, Suzanne Urquiza. Urquiza and the students will work on the subject matter, design and creation of the mural until the unveiling that takes place in September.
The mural depicts a magnificent tree in MacAurthur Park. Children in the painting run around and under the tree through bugs, plants and flowers that the students have painted.
Some climb the tree and hang from the branches, while others are swept up flying into the air on golden swirling gusts of wind. Recognizable landmarks from around the neighborhood are depicted at the edges of the scene.
Besides the time and effort that Suzanne and the students put into the mural the project brings together those in the community who advocate for positive grass-rooted efforts to improve the look and feel of MacArthur Park.
Sandi “Mama” Romero, who runs Mama’s Hot Tamales Café, a neighborhood non-profit restaurant and resource center, is one of those people. Romero helped generate the proposal to fund the project. Romero says the mural is a reminder that “children are the seeds of our neighborhood.”
Students working on the mural will learn many lessons from this project, and MacArthur Park Primary School Principal John Samaniego says the mural aims to “reflect the diversity of the community as well as to showcase the beauty of MacArthur Park.”
The primary school has 315 students from preschool to third grade. Most of the students working on the mural are Latino, Asian and African American.
The MacArthur Park mural is one of 91 Office of Beautification projects funded in the City of LA this year.
“The Board takes great pleasure in recognizing local neighborhood groups, networks and organizations that volunteer their time and energy to community improvement projects that improve the quality of life and keep Los Angeles beautiful,” says Cynthia M. Ruiz, president for the Board of Public Works.
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