Yasmina Reza, GOD OF CARNAGE
The Great Wall of Los Angeles
An Analysis of Judith F. Baca’s work.
Matthew Sorrentino
February 10th 2022
Saint Leo University
Professor Leisa Clark
1
Table of Contents
1 – Title page
2 – Table of Contents
3 – Introduction / Brief Summary / Key points
4 – Who is the artist? / Biography
5 – My interpretation
6 – Works Cited
Introduction
Judith F. Black’s Great Wall of Los Angeles
Fast Facts:
2754 feet long
13 feet high
One of the longest murals in the world.
Built in 1974
Took over 600 gallons of paint to create
Each section of the mural took one year to research and create.
Longest mural in the United States.
Summary on next page…
Summary
In 1974, Judith F. Baca was contacted by the Army Corps of Engineers about potentially creating a mural in an effort to support a beautification project for the local area that included the Tujunga wash, a mini park and bike path.
The Mural is painted on the concrete sides of the Tujunga flood control channel and stretches 2754 feet long and stands 13 feet tall. The great wall of Los Angeles is one of the longest stretching murals in the world.
Judy Baca had help from multiple government agencies, foundations and corporations to support her project in form of cash collections and the funding of supplies to create the mural. The mural itself took the help of over 400 people to create including 40 different historians to come up with the ideas of what the mural would have included in it.
The mural itself took 6 Summers to make and depicts the history of California in what looks like a timeline.
Originally called “The history of California” and took the ”Great wall” Name in the 1980s.
Each section of the wall is created by a different artist, supervised by Judy Baca herself. These different artists were selected from low income, minority groups between the ages of 14 – 24.
The Mural depicts scenes that highlight themes such as immigration, woman’s rights, racism and other minority groups. This monument is thought to be a monument to interracial harmony.
Judith f. Baca
Judith f. baca quick biography
Born in 1946 and grew up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts.
Attended California State University where she studied art and minored in history and education.
Created her first big mural as a teacher as at a catholic high school.
In 1976, Baca co-founded the Social Public Art Resource Center.
Baca is a professor at the University of California and is a recognized pioneer in the field of social practice today.
My interpretation
Judith F. Black’s Great Wall is an interesting monument that brings a meaningful depiction of earned equality among minority groups. Perhaps this murals biggest significance is the act of creating the piece, rather than the paint on the concrete walls themselves. The significance of Judith’s ability to bring more than 400 people of youth and diverse backgrounds all together in an effort to tell a story and to bring beauty is what I find most impressive of all.
Because of this murals cultural significance, records broken and the amount of sheer work it took the build, I would say that this artists piece is very important and itself is a masterpiece.
Works cited
“The Great Wall of Los Angeles.” The Great Wall of Los Angeles | Los Angeles City Planning, https://planning.lacity.org/blog/great-wall-los-angeles.
“The Great Wall – History and Description.” Judy Baca, http://www.judybaca.com/artist/the-great-wall-history-and-description/.
“Judith Baca.” Hammer Museum, https://hammer.ucla.edu/radical-women/artists/judith-baca.