Restoration of Baca Mural Nears Completion

Artist Judy Baca and her crew of fellow muralists were putting the final refinishing touches on their famed History of Highland Park mural on Thursday afternoon.

Baca told Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch that the two-month-long repainting effort was about two to three days away from completion.

After the painting was complete, Baca said, the crew would allow a seven to 10 day "curing period" before installing a protective layer of anti-graffiti coating.

The mural, located at 1207 N. Ave. 56, was first painted in 1977 by Baca and fellow Angeleno artists Joe Bravo, Sonya Fe and Arnold Ramirez, with help from students from

Baca's masterpiece fell into disrepair over the last decade as its anti-graffiti coating deteriorated and taggers left their own marks, transforming the work of art into an eyesore.

The artists have remained almost entirely faithful to the original version of the mural in the repainting effort, with only some minor alterations.

"We're trying to retain the integrity of the mural, but after 30 years we're much better artists," Bravo said. "It's an historical mural and we're trying to keep it historical."

The restoration effort is being paid for by a $78,000 grant from AT&T, and is coordinated by the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).

On Thursday afternoon, the mural displayed a vibrancy it had not shown in years, and Baca said she intends to keep it that way.

Baca said that she was also hoping to secure grant money from the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council to pay for the purchase of security cameras to monitor the mural.

She said she also intends sign a maintenance agreement with AT&T, so she can take charge of maintenance of the mural herself.

"We want to be in charge of taking care of the mural ourselves," Baca said. "We saw what kind of care they provided for us last time. "