Art Through History Outdoors
This past summer, the City of Chula Vista unveiled South Bay’s first outdoor art gallery. This new Chula Vista landmark is located between L Street and Palomar Street, along the Bayshore Bikeway south of Seven Mile Casino. Recognizing the intrinsic community value that such a project would provide, Seven Mile Casino generously donated funds to support the project. “We are proud to be part of The Chula Vista Community and its important to us to help create spaces that all of Chula Vista and those who visit can enjoy,” Seven Mile Casino partner, Masis Kevorkian shared with GB Magazine.
The Chula Vista Art Through History Outdoor Art Gallery project was an effort to defray the thousands of dollars the City spends annually cleaning up graffiti along this portion of the Bayshore Bikeway. The City’s Cultural Arts Manager, Lynnette Tessitore worked with 11 Artists to transform this highly tagged wall into a masterful collection of artwork. Each mural represents a period in Art History with a modern take and is representative of the diversity and cultures of Chula Vista. Since the unveiling of the City’s outdoor art gallery, the only tagging that has occurred has been on the unfinished portions of the wall. “This project demonstrates the transformative power of murals and how they build a sense of community and can be an effective means of social change,” said Tessitore.
The project includes artwork that represents Cubism, Social Realism, Feminist Art, Graffiti, Post Impressionism, Art Nouveau, Primitive Art, Pop Art, Arte Mexicano, Expressionism and Classical Art. The Artist team included Artist Lead Michelle MrBbaby Guerrero, Sergio Robleto, Andy Rios, George Shaffer, Jhelen Ramirez, Niz, Daryl Atkinson, Guillermo “Memuco” Munro, Chloe Becky, Allison Bamcat and Daniel Antelo.
Further funding of this project would assist in continuing the areas transformation into a popular point of interest for the region. With enough funding, Tessitore says that she and lead Artist Michelle Guerrero would work with more artists, surrounding schools and the community to complete this outdoor art gallery by the end of the summer 2020.
Chula Vista Council member Mike Diaz is an advocate of mural projects as effective ways of preventing graffiti. When asked about the need for additional support for the mural he said, “Many local businesses, like Seven Mile Casino, helped fund the first phase of the ‘L’ Street mural. Now we need just a few more supporters that will help the ‘L’ Street mural project get to the finish line.”
If you would like more information on Chula Vista’s Outdoor Art Gallery or on how you may be able to support the project, contact Lynnette Tessitore at (619) 409-5465.
