Are Public Art Murals Protected with An Anti-Graffiti Coating Really Protec

Scott M  Hskins, Art Conservator March 6, 2023

All the hard work over the past few years on the restoration of this historic and emotionally important mural celebrating research to cure AIDS in Hollywood, CA is credited to many city government efforts, neighborhood involvement and action and professional art conservation guidance and services to be a blessing for the community… only to be disrespected and vandalized.

The overview of this interesting project can be found at: https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/santa-barbara-art-expert-restores-historic-mammoth-mural-aids-painting-near-hollywood-bowl-in-los-angeles/ The mural conservation project's original goal was to rescue a significant public art from the hands of graffiti vandals. But, this wasn't the first attempt. Even during the lifetime of the artist, the painting had been repainted and retouched multiple times. This mural repair effort, which was complicated by the timing of Covid, took years to accomplish due to the time required to do research, get widespread community support, collect funds, and finally, get the job done. In short, the historic public art, with permission from the V.A.R.A. right holders, the mural painting was accurately repainted according to the artist’s records (with improvements in paint quality choice), and 4 coats of #MuralGuard by #RainguardPro were utilized to protect the finished product in order to facilitate future graffiti removal.

Last week, a gang of well-organized vandals in a Mercedes at 3 am, got out their ladders, and calmly—at least, that's how it looked on the video—attacked the mural. The graffiti was thickly applied and was positioned high to deter cleaning. The most delicate hue on the wall was covered by this approximate 10' by 30' tag. Given the conditions surrounding the underpass highway, the size, and the tag's style, this would have been a devastatingly hard tag to remove quickly... usually.

Furthermore, local neighborhood groups had been voicing strong displeasure that burnt out security lights in the underpass had been ignored by the city, making the tunnel unlit at night and posing a security risk.

Interest and pride of ownership on the part of the neighborhood group are crucial for maintenance of the mural's ability to beautify the area for the long haul. There will be further discussion on that toward the article's conclusion.

Congratulations to the community associations, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the District Office for their prompt action in removing the graffiti. Just 4 days old, this graffiti was successfully lifted off the protective coating on the mural, thanks to the careful efforts by workers and many the layers of protective coating (#MuralGuard). Congratulations, to these organizations which have just performed the type of maintenance necessary to keep this wall looking its best. In the future, this area will again be a "high impact" zone that necessitates an immediate response. Also, happily noted, all of the burned-out lights in the tunnel were replaced.

Another Excellent Effort of Pride of Ownership of a Public Art Mural:

The recounting of a wall painting on Balboa Island in Newport is one that I have told many times. Located in a high-traffic pedestrian zone, the 10' × 15' painting attracts a lot of attention from passers-by and gets tagged (a small one) about once a month. It was varnished with the same type of resin that protected Blue Moon Trilogy but is no longer available. The material used by @FineArtConservationLaboratories is actually of better quality. Senior residents in the area keep a watch on the mural and, when it is vandalized, they rush to clean it up with Goo- gone. Years after it had been painted and varnished to protect it from vandalism, I was astounded by how well preserved the painting still appeared. It has been kept spotless for around 20 years due to the hardness of the finish (#MuralGuard), developed for applications on public art.

I know that the Department of Cultural Affairs can't force the locals to keep the murals clean, but I want to assure you that I'm still up for hosting workshops with neighborhoods that love their public art and have pride of ownership to teach them how to swiftly and effectively remove little tags that would deter bigger ones.

Without a maintenance effort, graffiti will degrade the neighborhood. Allowing the vandals to “have their way” on murals and other assets that beautify and identify our neighborhoods sends a very bad message to our children and visitors to our communities which does more than just affect just property values; it affects your mental state and the community vibe.

Therefore if I can assist you in coming up with ideas and putting them into action, please don't hesitate to ask. As a sincere act of public/community service, I am providing advice and instruction on this topic at no cost.

Onwards and upwards!

Scott M. Haskins, Head of Conservation

805 570 4140 my mobile

805 564 3438 office