Restoration of the Great Wall of Los Angeles
In the 25 years since the completion of the Great Wall, SPARC has completed over a hundred murals, both in collaboration with local communities and solely by artist Judith F. Baca. But the sun, the water of the wash, and graffiti were wearing down on the Great Wall, calling back SPARC a few years ago to restore its luster. The Wall was in disrepair, some sections faded, others infested with spiders, and delamination throughout its entirety, where large sections of paint had cracked or caked off.
Challenged with fundraising - $100 per square foot - they sought after donations and grants both large and small, attained primarily through the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.
Students from Baca's UCLA courses, friends of SPARC, and the original volunteers joined in the efforts to restore the Great Wall. Working throughout the summer in the trench of the Tujunga Wash, the crew cleaned the walls and repaired missing chunks before the painting began. Pigments and paints were researched for luminosity and UV protection to ensure a longer life span. Over three summers, from cleaning to painting, the Wall was restored, and in some sections, enhanced with updated imagery.