By Justin Bell

The inner city neighborhoods of Los Angeles. We see them on the news. We drive through them on our way to the airport. We may even do some casual ministry there. But do these neighborhoods mean anything tangible to us? Is the inner city a place that we can taste, touch, see, or breathe?
For most of us here at Fuller (myself included), lesser-resourced neighborhoods like Westlake (near Pico Union) are not a part of our daily experience. Though we do, indeed, sometimes experience moments of hope, sadness, and/or guilt regarding these areas of our city, these feelings are far too often vague and sporadic. I think this is due to the fact that we haven’t yet been saturated by the stories of the people out of the inner city. Indeed, we have looked at these stories before, but we haven’t taken the time or looked closely enough at them to allow them to speak over against us—to change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors at the individual level.
On Monday, April 7, during the Community Arts Festival here at Fuller, we’re going to have an amazing opportunity to look closer at life in the heart of Los Angeles—an opportunity to have the inner city speak over against us. A guild of artists called LA Street Productions, from around Westlake, will be presenting a gallery of work from 12pm-1pm in the Travis Breezeway. Having already spent some time with these men, I can say that they are not only amazing artist, but they are also amazing individuals who have overcome countless obstacles to develop themselves both personally and professionally. They are painters, they are poets, they are sculptors, and they are architects. More than just an art group, they are friends—friends who are willing to sharpen each other and even die for each other if necessary.
Though they are closely linked by their passion for art, each of these artists’ works is unique in mode, theme, and expression. Wilburd Estrada, primarily a painter, has been influenced by David Alfaro Siqueiros and Van Gogh. His painting, For Caesar Chavez (pictured above), reinterprets Siqueiros’ commentary on industrialism in terms of the injustice Latino’s have received with American immigration laws. “Freedom in America is a limited freedom,” Estrada says, “many Latinos aren’t allowed to have it, and when they finally do get it, they become slaves to credit banks.”
Alberto Castenada focuses on written word. His poem Rush Hour describes the streets as “a catwalk for women dressed in luxurious lust.” Those who drive through his neighborhood in fear and disgust are “veiled by pride and satisfaction”. While their “tinted windows go up, a man’s value goes down.”
His works spanning the mediums of architecture, printmaking, and painting, Werner Pastran is a “jack-of-all-trades”. One particular painting of his, Defaced, draws upon techniques found in street tagging. Himself never a street tagger, Werner says that he had hoped, through using these techniques, to criticize the spirit of hate, anger, and disillusionment that he believes is so widespread in the graphitti community. As an alternative to much the negative art that he sees around him, Werner tries, with every piece, to communicate the values of love and humility.
LA Street Productions was founded in 1997 by John Tiersma Watson, an InnerChange LA staffperson and husband of Professor Judith Tiersma Watson in the School of World Mission. Primarily made up of “11/2ers”—Latinos raised in 1st generation American homes—the group submits their work to public, private, and church galleries throughout the year. To help buy art supplies, the guild originally created and sold affordable trading cards throughout their neighborhood. Today, LA Street Productions still supports itself on trading cards, but also accepts donations.
Please come to the gallery in the Travis Breezeway April 7 and meet the incredible artists that make up LA Street Productions and view their work. There is a lot we can learn from these guys! Also, comic book artist Jim Krueger and visual artists Macha Suzuki and Moto Okawa will be there as well. And don’t forget that there’s pizza!
To find out more about LA Street Productions, visit their webpage at www.sonserver.com/lasp.