About LA vs Hate
LA vs Hate is a community-centered system designed to support all residents and communities targeted for hate acts of all kinds in Los Angeles County. Led by the LA County Commission on Human Relations, LA vs Hate partners with community partners from all five Board of Supervisors’ Districts, representing a diverse coalition of voices committed to prevent and respond to hate. With the recent increase in hate violence, LA vs Hate is more determined than ever to show up and support our most vulnerable residents through direct community responses including:
● Working directly with victims who report bias, discrimination, hate violence, through 211 LA
● Offering referrals to a network of local organizations to address community-wide patterns of hate
● Supporting individual victims of bias and hate who want to file civil rights complaints with appropriate agencies, working from the first interview with investigators through to mediation and settlement
Note: The City of Manhattan Beach has been collaborating with the South Bay Community Coalition Against Hate, which has used the LA vs Hate program as a benchmark for its anti-hate initiatives in the South Bay.
LA vs Hate Art-Forward Strategy
Public art commissions have always been a stronghold of the LA vs Hate marketing campaign strategy. Artists are entrusted by society to speak truth to power, interpret issues of injustice, distill complex obstacles, and build momentum. Art transcends boundaries and allows us to connect visual and emotional elements and articulate thoughts and perspectives we lack words for. Artists are the principal drivers of culture, and society often collides with politics. It's through art and artists' dedication to conveying social inequalities that culture shifts and permanent changes develop.
Since the inception of LA vs Hate in 2020, we have created, developed and unveiled eight large-scale murals in public spaces with the objective of building awareness of LA vs Hate services for the communities affected by hate and bias.
Proposed Design Description
With the recent hate incidents in the City of Manhattan Beach, we would like to propose an LA vs Hate mural as a means to bring the community together in solidarity. We propose working with the City of Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Beach Unified School District to invite up to 150 high school students of the City of Manhattan Beach to participate in a three-step artist-led community-informed mural development process including (1) Human Relations training, (1) community mural envisioning workshop, and (1) community painting session, all described below. The training, workshop and painting session will be centered around the mural concept of A vision for the future of Manhattan Beach in solidarity. This proposed mural concept will be articulated through imagery of the communities' visions for the future of a unified Manhattan Beach that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion of community members.
Artist Selection
TaskForce, the creative marketing agency that has worked with LA County’s Commission on Human Relations on developing and sustaining the LA vs Hate program has a database of hundreds of LA-based visual artists. TaskForce and the Commission on Human Relations will
identify 3-5 visual artists (with a priority on South Bay-based artists) with experience creating community-informed, large-scale murals with impactful and uplifting imagery.
This short list, including bios and past work examples, will be presented to the City of Manhattan Beach Council members, with a recommendation of the best artist for their final approval.
Community-Led Mural Development Process
Overarching Process: TaskForce will lead a community-led mural development process, as they have done with the recent Summer of Solidarity program, which included the completion of five community murals, working with five groups of community-based organizations to celebrate their cultural communities. This process will allow for community members, specifically the young people of Manhattan Beach, to be educated on Social Justice concepts, envision the future of the City and the imagery that will communicate this, along with also having the opportunity to participate in a paint-by-numbers workshop led by the artist. Below please find details of the process;
● Human Relations Training: LA County Commission on Human Relations will provide 3 workshops for students on interpersonal and intergroup relations, the history and cultures of the South Bay, and practical wellness tools for stress and anxiety. The workshops offer ways to help students learn alternatives for responding to tension and conflict and ways to encourage their appreciation for diversity, history and the future.
The workshop material is to provide students with knowledge and critical thinking skills to assist in their vision for the future.
● The Future of Manhattan Beach in Solidarity Workshops will be facilitated in-person in Manhattan Beach Unified Schools. We will host 3 workshops with up to 50 students, who will be asked 3-5 questions that will form key concepts and metaphors for what they envision as an inclusive, diverse and hate-free future MB community. The workshop key concepts become a framework for designing the community-informed mural.
● Mural Design & Maquette: A community brief is provided to the artist, which includes the key concepts identified in the workshop, historical material, conversations, and insights from stakeholders and community organizations. They also receive technical information required to create wall studies and sketches. The artist interprets the material generated in the workshops and begins creating the mural maquette.
● The artist will be mentored by our partners MuralColors during the design process, guiding their hand to strengthen their composition in both aesthetic and subject matter.
This includes hands-on technical support and feedback throughout the design process.
The artist renders a digital mural maquette to the dimensions of the selected wall. The City of Manhattan Beach stakeholders are updated as they make progress towards completing the first draft.
● Mural Maquette Presentation & Community Feedback: Community partners, stakeholders, and workshop attendees are invited to a (1) facilitated Maquette Presentation where the public, students and stakeholders receive a guided preview of the artwork from the artist and participate in a discussion to advance the mural design.
The artist completes final revisions on the mural maquette based on the community
feedback session, and the design is put forth for final approval by the City of Manhattan Beach.
● Mural Production & Installation: There are two options for the production and installation of the mural;
1. Direct-to-wall mural production: The mural is produced in the traditional method, prepping the city-owned wall, painting directly on the wall with all the necessary materials and aerial work platforms (scaffolding/scissor lifts). The team will need to secure adequate storage for heavy equipment, paint and painting supplies, access to water and electricity for charging a scissor lift, and the ability to store a scissor lift near the wall location. Production time: 2 months
2. Production on Mural Cloth*: The mural is transferred and painted by the artist and team in MuralColors LA studio on Mural Cloth, an engineered outdoor-rated textile designed for mural production by MuralColors. Mural Cloth can be installed permanently at the mural site or relocated as-needed, providing a pathway toward long-term conservation for the mural. MuralColors installs the mural at the selected mural site and final painting is done by the artist and community in the community painting sessions.Production time: 1 month
At the completion of either option, preservation and anti-graffiti coatings are applied for maintenance. A dedication panel is also installed with information about the mural and LA vs Hate resources.
● Community painting sessions: The participating students and stakeholders will be invited to one of three 2-hour community painting sessions guided by the artist and the mural development team. This painting session will happen 3-5 days before the mural dedication event.
Note: Depending on the production method and site specifications, the community painting sessions will either happen on site or in a school location.
● Mural Dedication Event: The mural is unveiled and dedicated during a public event organized by LA vs Hate and community partners, in which time we will invite community leaders, including Supervisor Holly Mitchell and the Mayor of the City of Manhattan Beach, to speak about the impact of standing in solidarity against hate and the power of the arts in building stronger and more resilient communities.
The unveiling event will also include at least 2 live performances by local performing artists and/or student groups, along with a local small business that will serve snacks and refreshments.
Proposed timeline: 7-9 months to complete the community-led development process, production and dedication event planning.
Proposed Budget: $65,000-80,000
The final budget will be determined based on the scale of the selected mural wall and the production process chosen.
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*Technical specs of Mural Cloth
Mural Cloth is made of an engineered acrylic polymer textile dipped in acrylic resin. It is a Fire Rated per Test NFPA 701 FR and ASTM E84. It wears and behaves like a painted surface and when it is correctly installed with appropriate weatherproofing and good site conditions, Mural Cloth murals will easily last multiple decades. The painted mural on Mural Cloth will wear like any normal painted surface, although when coated with our preservation system, the murals will remain vibrant with minimal maintenance. Mural Cloth can be installed over any wall and does not require modifying the surface. It can be installed around fire systems, security cameras, or electrical outlets without issue.
Recommended Mural Maintenance
For both Mural Cloth and direct-to-wall murals, we recommend a wash down and reapplication of the sacrificial UV coating every 7 to 10 years if fading is a concern. This would be assessed on a case-by-case basis since each mural ages differently. This involves washing the mural with our Mural Wash soap and reapplying OverCoat to remove any dirt, grime and pollutants, and refresh the UV absorbers in the coating.