Children have always been an integral concept and theme within murals. Murals depicting young people have been at the centerpiece of African American muralism as early as the Harlem Renaissance and into the Civil Rights Era. Within art in general, children function as symbols of change, innocence, a pure piece of humanity untainted by the immorality of society but also as a symbol of hope for children as well. Starting from the Industrial Revolution, it was then here in America in which children began to be central as art subjects and became a symbol of innocence who reflected the soul of society and its hardships especially during the intensive child labor in the Industrial Revolution.[1]
Many Los Angeles muralists use children at the forefront of their messages, as also a reflection upon the current society and commentary on its mistakes. Ian White’s
Genocidal Tendencies of 1989 (fig. 1) depicts a solemn child’s face with sickly yellow bags under his eyes as plumes of corrupting smoke and steam from factories and nuclear plants behind him. White’s mural sends a clear message that we, as the current holders of society, must protect the environment and preserve it for future generations. The suffering child makes viewers reflect on their own contribution to environmental destruction and the world they are leaving behind for future children. The child’s vulnerability in his childhood is shown in his weary expression as he looks off into the distance, perhaps pondering at the only worsening future of which we left behind as fumes continue to bellow behind his rather weak, bare figure. Here, the mural serves as a medium and the child the subject, and together they are able to express complex messages on childhood as well as society, highlighting vulnerabilities and our mistakes as a society. Children here are used as a reflection, a mirror, an insight to the very real outcome of society’s wrong doings.
One of the most important aspects of such children themed murals, is the effect and message children themselves take away from it. The muralist, William Walker, a founder of the
Chicago Mural Movement, expressed the ideals African American pride, freedom, and harmony through the representation of children in his work. In 1977, Walker wanted to express his gratitude towards Harte school’s promotion of racial harmony where his daughter attended as a child.[2] This desire to express a world free from discrimination and racial prejudice encompassed by the school inspired the mural known as
Childhood Is Without Prejudice and You Are as Good as Anyone (fig. 2). The overlapping faces of young children of all races, presents a unity that transcends our society’s enforced social and racial barriers carried upon by children. Their flesh blends, and colors mingle, creating a uniting “flesh” not dominated by the Caucasian skin color once referred as “flesh” instead of the now “Peach”.[3] Children who will walk past this mural as they go into school as the future generation will see this mural as a source of hope, where Caucasion skin isn’t the international norm for beauty, where they become forgers of a new society in which they are not judged or valued based upon race. They see themselves in the mural, a participant in the changing tide, this time the mural reflecting the children themselves as the mural shows the held hands of children just as many children would to their friends in real life. The mural tells them that others no matter of race, are friends, equal souls in fighting against the tide of descrimination.
In Elliot Pinkney’s influential murals, children function as a symbol of hope, the seed of a better future that society cradles and nurtures. Without a known date,
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child (fig. 3) depicts an infant cradled in a vibrant flower, a symbol of a blossoming growth. The infant’s delicate nature is emphasized by a rose, in which roses require delicate care and attention to raise. Pinkney’s mural was a take on the well-known African proverb of “It takes a village to raise a child” which means it requires a whole supporting community of people to help raise a child and create a safe and healthy environment for them.[4] The mural shows with its various colored arms reaching in unity as one, the need to move past racism and prejudice, to unite all hands together in creating a world safe for our children. The larger hand cradling the child of ambiguous race may symbolize humanity’s unifying touch and responsibility that transcends racial discrimination and differences in order to care for the children within this “village.”
Within Los Angeles, murals holding such children's representations and themes can be seen on the streets and walls. In the public, for the wandering eyes of children and adults alike, like the
L.A. Freeway Kids in which children of various races can be seen, including African American, Asian, Caucasian, Mexican, etc. all together in unity as the new generation of humanity that shall step by step erase prejudice and descrimination as they have fun, kicking ball, jumping on the freeway of L.A. Murals having children as subjects such as
Beacon of Hope by Elliot Pinkney and
City of Dreams/River of History by Richard Wyatt speaks to children themselves of hope, their power to resist descrimination and push on for a brighter future with confidence, just as William Walker emphasizes with his mural and as Elliot Pinkney pushes for education as the ultimate freedom. Los Angeles murals of children reflect many African American murals of children outside. Children of the murals symbolize not just the power to change and innocence, but a reflection of society and ourselves, and ultimately children themselves as active participants as the next leaders of the world.
Notes
1. “Children in Art.” National Galleries of Scotland, https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/children-art
2. “Childhood is Without Prejudice.” Chicago Public Art, https://chicagopublicart.blogspot.com/2013/09/childhood-is-without-prejudice.html
3. Roth Lorna, “Home on the Range: Kids, Visual Culture, and Cognitive Equity,” Cultural Studies, Critical Methodologies, 2009, pg.141-148
4. “Why We Still Need the Village – Strengthening Support Systems for Our Children.” The Write of Your Life, last accessed May 19, 2021, https://thewriteofyourlife.org/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child/
Bibliography
Roth, Lorna. “Home on the Range: Kids, Visual Culture, and Cognitive Equity.” Cultural studies, critical methodologies 9, no. 2 (2009): 141–148.
“Children in Art.” National Galleries of Scotland. Accessed May 19, 2021. https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/children-art.
Representation of children in art: Hermann Gross. Accessed May 19, 2021. https://cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cyconline-feb2010-jackson.html.
“Use of Children in Political Murals.” Irish Studies. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org/use-of-children-in-political-murals/.
“14 Black Muralists in LA You Need To Know.” SPARCinLA, July 26, 2020. https://sparcinla.org/14-black-muralists/.
“William Walker (1927-2011).” The Melvin Holmes Collection of African American Art. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://www.holmesartgallery.com/williamwalker.
“Art for the People: William Walker's ‘Wall of Love’ at the South Side Community Art Center.” Art of a Community Speaks. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/artofacommunityspeaks/2013/01/15/art-for-the-people-william-walkers-wall-of-love-at-the-south-side-community-art-center/.
Vliet, About Sue. “On the Walls: More Neighborhood Murals You Should See: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.” Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service | Your neighborhood. Your News., October 17, 2019. https://milwaukeenns.org/2019/10/17/on-the-walls-more-neighborhood-murals-you-should-see/.
Pictures of murals by Elliott Pinkney. Accessed April 19, 2021. http://www.grconnect.com/murals/html/ElliottPinkney.html.
Anderson, Gayle. “Life in Compton as Seen through the Eyes of Artist Elliott Pinkney.” The Source, September 17, 2011. https://thesource.metro.net/2011/09/17/life-in-compton-as-seen-through-the-eyes-of-artist-elliott-pinkney/.
Childhood is Without Prejudice. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://chicagopublicart.blogspot.com/2013/09/childhood-is-without-prejudice.html.
Chicago Mural Movement Project. Accessed May 19, 2021. http://madstudio.northwestern.edu/ChicagoMuralMovement/#!/home.
“African American Murals - The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles - Google Arts & Culture.” Google. Google. Accessed May 19, 2021. https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/african-american-murals-the-mural-conservancy-of-los-angeles/SwLS327tFrYAKA?hl=en.
David Conrad. “Community Murals as Democratic Art and Education.” The Journal of aesthetic education 29, no. 1 (1995): 98–102.
Dunitz, Robin J. “Putting Art Where People Live: The African-American Murals of Los Angeles.” American visions 9, no. 6 (1994): 14–.
Moss, Kristin Lee. “Cultural Representation in Philadelphia Murals: Images of Resistance and Sites of Identity Negotiation.” Western journal of communication 74, no. 4 (2010): 372–395.
Robin J. Dunitz. “The Albina Mural Project.” Oregon historical quarterly 111, no. 4 (2010): 486–508.
Chambers, Eddie. The Routledge Companion to African American Art History. New York, NY: Routledge, 2020: 256-265
“‘A Lens into What It Means to Be an American’: African American Philadelphia Murals as Sites of Memory.” In Transnational American Memories. Vol. 11. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2009.
Ford, James. “Establishing Ground Zero for African American History through Art: The Murals of Hannah Hall at Texas Southern University.” The Griot (Houston, Tex.) 37, no. 1 (2018): 116–II.
“Neighborhood Pride.” SPARCinLA, July 16, 2015. https://sparcinla.org/neighborhood-pride/.
“Conservation of ‘Literacy’ by Roderick Sykes.” SPARCinLA, January 22, 2016. https://sparcinla.org/conservation-of-literacy-by-roderick-sykes/.
“Peace and Love - Elliot Pinkney - Google Arts & Culture.” Google. Google. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/peace-and-love-elliot-pinkney/AgElqGEs-d9s9w.
Anderson, Gayle. “Life in Compton as Seen through the Eyes of Artist Elliott Pinkney.” The Source, September 17, 2011. https://thesource.metro.net/2011/09/17/life-in-compton-as-seen-through-the-eyes-of-artist-elliott-pinkney/.
“Artist: Elliott Pinkney.” LA Metro Home. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://www.metro.net/about/art/artists/Pinkney/.
