Describe the history of the neighborhood located in the heart of the northwest of the San Fernando Valley
A group of ten mostly graffiti artists directed by the young muralist Levi Ponce created the mural Rushing Waters (Waters of haste) in the heart of Pacoima, which is a reflection of this community in the San Fernando Valley.
Rushing Waters (Aguas de risa) is the most important public art project in the San Fernando Valley since 1978; and the largest high relief mural in the San Fernando Valley.
"It's 10,000 square feet, over 400 long and 25 tall," says Levi Ponce, director of this artistic project.
The colorful and wide mural is located at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Paxton streets, one of the busiest intersections of the 118th Pacoima motorway exit, known as the city of murals.
On the mural you can see the Hansen Dam (the Hansen Dam), the Whiteman Airport, the highways that surround Pacoima, the Sylmar Aqueduct, the San Gabriel Mountains and a 25-foot-tall woman native to the local Tataviam tribe which pays tribute to the indigenous heritage of the neighborhood.
“This mural is a representation of everything we have here, the Hansen Dam, which is the largest swimming pool in the country and was once a natural lake whose waters came down from the hills; the oaks of California, the highways that border Pacoima and the flowers that are the official memory of the Armenian genocide. Here is a large population of Armenians, ”says the artist.
Who is Levi Ponce?
He is 32 years old and is the son of El Salvador's father and mother of Guatemala. He lived until he was five years old in the central district of Pico Union in Los Angeles, and after that his parents went to live in Pacoima, where he currently resides.
“I studied animation at Cal State Northridge, and worked in the movies and for Disney, but always with muralism next door. Last year I decided to leave my formal career and explore what I can do in the communities, ”he explains.
But Levi is not improvised in muralism. He learned it as a child next to his father Juan Héctor Ponce, who is also a painter and has a 50-year career as a painter.
“My father came on foot from El Salvador to Los Angeles and it took him six years to arrive. In each city I spent one or two years to get here, ”he recalls.
He estimates that in the community, he must have painted about 50 murals, and commercials already add thousands.
One of them is a small mural in honor of Kobe Bryant, the late basketball legend. “I did it in 2018 (two years after he retired), as a tribute to him because he is a great idol in Los Angeles. The mural is small, but painting it was a great pride. I plan to do something more formal and color, ”he anticipates.
How was Rushing Waters born?
“More than five years ago when muralism was very active in Pacoima, people started asking me to paint this wall where the mural has been Rushing Waters . At that time I was with a group of artists painting the Van Nuys boulevard. We painted a facade of more than three miles long, which now tell him the mile of murals with more than 30 murals made by different artists, ”he recalls.
However, the request to make Rushing Waters It was complicated because at the side of the wall where the mural is now, the train passes and many permits had to be requested.
"The owner complained that he had problems with the City because they stained the wall, cleaned and stained it again, and could not keep it clean," he says.
With the support of the owner of the fence, the solution was to create a mural with the participation of the graffiti artists themselves.
But not everything was easy, Levi did not find the support of the former district councilor. It wasn't until they elected Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez in 2017 when the project became a reality.
"She and her office made it possible. They communicated with Metrolink. They took permits, contracts, insurances; and with more than 100,000 dollars raised by Councilwoman Rodriguez, the mural was made"He exposes.
And they did it in a record time of 12 days. "The Metrolink only gave us 15 days to paint it," he says.
Over time, they had to opt for a simpler style than their own, which they define as more realistic.
“I designed what the mural was going to take, and a simple style designer helped me and we presented it to the community. The local Tataviam tribe educated us to correctly paint the woman of the tribe, ”he says.
“We were 10 artists. I organized everything. We had to attend a train safety course and pass an exam. since on one side of the train are the tracks through which 30 trains pass daily, every 15 or 30 minutes depending on the time, ”he details.
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"This mural is a great example of what can be achieved when the community and the City work together," he says.
“Those who painted this mural are graffiti artists, the same ones who paint the community. By giving them a platform, voice and resources, we have the example of what can be achieved when people's energy is directed”, He says pointing to the mural.
"Many times the cities erase the graffiti, and for the act of having painted, they imprison the artists, give them a charge of a serious crime and ruin their lives. As a community we have to learn to take that energy from the graffiti youth and direct it, ”he observes.
"Hopefully Rushing Waters serve as an example for other communities of what can be achieved with youth, art and graffiti; and that we stop dividing and find ways to work together, ”he considers.
The community response
Levi says that they received the greatest satisfaction when they were painting him, and the people of Pacoima whom he considers "good, beautiful and cheerful", passed in their cars and shouted at them, thank you!
“The change is not only on the wall but on the faces of the people who look at it. It's a great pride, and it gives me a lot of encouragement. I hope I can achieve more murals in Los Angeles and in the country, ”he says.
“More than ever we need our Latin representation to advance. We are not well represented in anything. As a humble painter, I will do what I can to represent them, ”he says.
They give recognition
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez gave special recognition to Levi Ponce and her team of artists for the creation of the mural Rushing Waters
"Rushing Waters He pays tribute to our cultural heritage of the area and captures the spirit of Pacoima, ”said Councilwoman Rodriguez. "This type of investment has been long awaited and I am very happy to have been part of the history of our community," he said.
In the team of Levi artists who participated in the creation of Rushing Waters They include: Erica Friend, Cristián Cárdenas, Gore, Héctor “Teatris Aris”, José Javier, Juan Pablo, Lisa Lee, Mighk Rivera, and Red Ortiz.
