Historical Aids Research Memorial Mural in Hollywood CA Restored

The 1988 monumental mural to aids research, Blue Moon Trilogy, celebrates the medical success during a frightening, if not terrifying, time in the gay communities and is an iconic, and now hugely important, historical mural by artist Russell Charlton who succumbed himself to HIV.

The historic monumental mural, Blue Moon Trilogy by Russell Charlton, located in the 101 freeway underpass on Odin St. in front of the Hollywood Bowl. Restored by Fine Art Conservation Laboratories under contract with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Restoration of the 186 ft mural, located in the 101 freeway underpass on Odin St. in front of the Hollywood Bowl, was recently completed by Fine Art Conservation Laboratories under contract with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

The final Phase 2 of this public art restoration and maintenance project has been just completed at the end of April 2022. Phase 1 of the mural restoration project took place several years previously. See link at end of this article for more background info about the mural and a review of the Phase 1 restoration work.

The work has received widespread media coverage… https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/news/2019/07/03/community-restoring-80s-aids-memorial-mural

and even professional international attention: https://www.iiconservation.org/system/files/publications/journal/2019/b2019_4.pdf

After the Covid downtime, Yami Duarte of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles was good made good the DCA’s promise to finish the restoration of the mural with the Phase 2 restoration by the same “A” Team of Fine Art Conservation Laboratories.

Restoring the monument to Aids Research, the mural by Russell Charlton, Blue Moon Trilogy

Of course all the same collaborative efforts were required as with the first part of the project: Coordination and cooperation took place, under the guiding light of  Yami Duarte of the Department of Cultural Affairs who choreographed Fine Art Conservation Laboratories, CalTrans, The Hollywood Bowl, the 4th District Councilman’s office and the neighborhood organizations. It took serious skills to consider and satisfy the  sensitive issues surrounding the restoration of the 186 ft mural located in the underpass used by semi trucks as the onramp for the 101 freeway.

For instance, the set up of the security fences for the project and the power washing of the extensive layer of truck exhaust that had accumulated on the mural over the last years was calendared, by mistake, on the opening night of the Hollywood Bowl… a problem as the underpass where the mural is located is a major thoroughfare for traffic for the Bowl’s events! Scott Haskins, Head of Conservation, was up with the power washers at 2 am the next morning to fit the work into the schedule and avoid the traffic!!!

This restorative work was undertaken the last two weeks of April 2022

Mural restoration and public art maintenance. Working behind the security fence

For mural restoration and conservation questions

Contact Scott M. Haskins, Head of Conservation,

Call Us: 805 564 3438

Email Us: faclartdoc@gmail.com

Click on this link for more background info about the mural and a review of the Phase 1 restoration work: https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/huge-hollywood-mural-monument-to-successful-aids-research-is-being-saved-and-restored/

If you have questions about protective coatings for outdoor murals, see the following two articles…

https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/varnishing-a-mural-antigraffiti-measures-protecting-public-art/

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