Saving Bicentennial Freedom Mural on the side of the Prado Dam, Riverside C

For those of you who have driven the freeways in the Corona and Riverside areas of Southern California, you are aware of the massive mural on the side of a dam that celebrates the bicentennial birthday of our country in 1976. Painted by renegade high school students, it immediately became a beloved landmark to many but local government has struggled over the decades to maintain it and keep the vandals from covering the celebration of our freedoms with graffiti.

There have been previous attempts to restore the mural when it looked beat up but apparently no one has ever made a commitment to maintain it and keep the taggers off. Over the decades it has mostly been an eyesore and a sad reminder of ineffectual government to the millions of people a week that drive by and look at the mutilated celebration of freedom.

A couple of years ago, the artist in charge of originally painting the mural, Ron Kammeyer now a renown landscape architect, challenged local govn’t and the Army Corp of Engineers to restore the mural and maintain its message with pride. There was an explosion of bureaucracy, whining, law suites and finally in April of this year 2023, the mural was repainted faithful to the original composition but with no concern for preserving any evidence of the original historical mural.

Scott M. Haskins, Art and Mural Conservator from Fine Art Conservation Laboratories played an important part in getting the discussions off stalemate about two years ago. He was engaged to work with attorney’s trying to protect artist’s rights and historic public art and offered opinions based on a professional point of view of facts rather than the arguments previously offered according to people’s opinions.

Mr. Kammeyer recently said, “Scott’s involvement was of paramount importance in settling what seemed to be the never-ending indecisions of the Army Corp of Engineers, The Flood Control and Water Districts of Riverside and the City of Corona. The restoration of this mural should be considered a huge victory on Mr. Haskins’ resume for professional consulting on behalf of preserving, protecting and restoring public art within our area of 7 communities.”

Municipal, State and Federal Art Maintenance Contracts

2023 The Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). 1500 murals state-wide, contract for consulting and mural conservation services

2023 City of Porterville, CA Marching Through Time Mural

2017 -2024 Dept of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles, 3 year contract for mural assessments, consultations and mural conservation treatments, contract renewed for another 3 year term.

2021 Cultural Arts Commission, City of Santa Monica, Murals

2016 -2019 Federal Reserve Art Collection, 5 Centers in 5 of the Western United States

2012 – 2015 Province of British Columbia (murals)

2009 – 2012  Arts Commission of Los Angeles, Community Redevelopment Agency, Cultural Arts. Open ended project of various mural projects and consultation projects (assessments, murals)

2000 – Present Collection maintenance and Consulting for The Corporation of the President, Salt Lake City

1998 – Present Contract with the City of Dallas at Fair Park, Texas

1997 - 2000 General Services Administration (GSA), United States Government, Indefinite Quantity Contract for conservation services for paintings in federal buildings in 20 Western States.

Example of City Mural Maintenance Proposal (Graffiti Removal) Ideas for discussion  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/3781-2/

Public Art Protection Varnishing Murals and Oil Paintings for Future Maintenance  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/public-art-protection-varnishing-murals-and-oil-paintings-for-future-maintenance/

Removing Graffiti From Murals https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/removing-graffiti-from-murals/

Public Art Mural’s Graffiti Protection Coating (Our Multi-Layer Applications) Is Put To The Test  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/public-art-murals-graffiti-protection-coating-our-multi-layer-applications-is-put-to-the-test/

Mural Restored of Famous Porterville, CA Marching Bands – Maintaining Public Art  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/mural-restored-of-famous-porterville-ca-marching-bands-maintaining-public-art/

Does a Public Art Mural Need Varnish If Graffiti Is Not A Problem?  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/murals/does-a-mural-need-varnish-if-graffiti-is-not-a-problem/

Protecting The Kobe Bryant Memorial Mural 2020 With An Anti-Graffiti Coating  https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/travel/protecting-the-kobe-bryant-memorial-mural-2020-with-an-anti-graffiti-coating/

Art Restoration and Conservation Consultation Services https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/consultations/

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