A week after the LAUSD agreed to paint over a school mural after criticisms emerged over its insensitivity towards Korea Americans, street artist Shepard Fairey has weighed in on the discussion.
The mural in question, which is on campus of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, depicts an image of Ava Gardner with rays radiating behind her face. Critics say the motif resembles the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, which committed incalculable atrocities against Koreans and others during the war. The artist behind the Ava Gardner mural, Beau Stanton, said that mural was intended to celebrate the famous Cocoanut Grove bar in Hollywood and was not meant as a reference to the war.
Under pressure, the LAUSD said last week that it would repaint the mural.
The muralist and street artist Shepard Fairey weighed in on the controversy over the weekend, saying that if Stanton’s mural is erased, he would also remove his own mural — which features Robert F. Kennedy — on the same campus.
We reached out to LAUSD officials for comment. They did not get back to us in time for this segment.
Guests:
Shepard Fairey, contemporary street artist and creator of the large outdoor portrait of Robert F. Kennedy at the RFK Community Schools complex; he tweets
Beau Stanton, multi-disciplinary artist and creator of the “Lady of the Grove” mural at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex
Chan Yong “Jake” Jeong, president of the Wilshire Community Coalition, a non-profit that aims to represent community issues