Commentary: ‘Activate’ the space around the mural

During the past two years, I have been using public art, public history and place-making strategies to reinvigorate the Orange County suburbs and bring diverse communities together.

I have been interested in the Zio Ziegler mural in Irvine since I saw it being painted, but the recent article in Weekend (“Tilly’s mural spurs debate about art,” Dec. 13) gave me some much-needed information about how the mural came to be and why it will be painted over in June.

Any mural that size is bound to spark dialogue and impact local communities in some way, but when I found out that it would be a temporary mural, I began to ask myself what Tilly’s, Artists Republic or the city of Irvine were going to do to make sure the mural had a meaningful life and achieved what it set out to do.

I wrote a blog post when the mural was still going to be up for only 90 days. I wrote the post on day 45.

Here are excerpts:

It has been 45 days since artist Zio Ziegler stepped onto a hydraulic lift and began painting his mural on the back wall of the Tilly’s building in Irvine. When the mural was complete, I drove over to the building and was amazed at how beautiful, unique and full of life it was. I heard all the cars from the I-405 passing quickly behind me and thought about how short the life of the mural would be, because in 90 days it would be painted over.

We are halfway to 90 days.

The goal of the Ziegler project/mural was to highlight the art scene in Orange County, break the stereotype that Irvine is “stuffy” and cause a little controversy and self-reflection among passersby.

At this 45-day mark, I am worried that in 45 more days this mural will be painted over and forgotten about. If this happens, the goals for the project/mural will not be fully accomplished, and Irvine will go back to being its stuffy self. We need to create a way for community artists in Orange County, Irvine specifically, to connect with the Ziegler mural and continue to expand the artist community in O.C. even after the mural is gone.

A mural on a wall doesn’t highlight the art scene in Orange County or break a stuffy stereotype; the mural needs to be activated. The mural should be a place rather than something that people pass by at 80 mph on the freeway (I understand there is something symbolic about passing it on the freeway though).

Two examples of ways the mural and the space around the mural could be activated to make a larger impact on the community:

1. Dance crew night: An event where dance crews from around Orange County come out and perform a few routines in front of the mural. This would bring a new dimension to the movement that is depicted in the mural and bring new people to see the artwork.

2. Teen street art event: Connecting with teens is so important, and Tilly’s, Vans and Ziegler all have a big following of teens. An event where teens participate in chalk art, yarn bombing or making their own stencils would connect to the street-art element. This would also be an event that could be duplicated in different communities after the mural has been painted over.

This mural was/is such a promising move toward completely stepping out of the shadow of L.A., and I still think it can make a lasting impact if the community can connect to it and see the value of everything it can accomplish.

When I heard that the city of Irvine had voted to keep the mural up longer, I was sure I would hear something about a community event and I would be able to write a follow-up post, but I didn’t. I am worried that the mural will not make an impact on Irvine government and the community like it should.

HANNAH BOGENREUTHER is a resident of Lake Forest. This year, she partnered with the city of Lake Forest on a public art project.