New mural in Santa Ana offers local artists a seat at the table

SANTA ANA, CA - Between the early 2000s and the late 2010s, I would take the 42 OCTA bus or drive my first car and I would take my little sister Olivia to her ballet rehearsals at the Wooden Floor in Santa Ana. Depending on the time, I’d get her Pollo Loco before or after her class to keep us fueled. So when my editor asked if I wanted to report on a new mural by Revive Santa Ana on Main and 20th, I knew the intersection sounded familiar. 

On the corner where the Bowers museum sits directly across, the mural titled “A la Mesa” or “At The Table” in English is an invitation to think about family, grief and what a shared communion is. California Artists Stephanie Miles from Orange County and Tony Gomez from the Bay Area worked with various community organizations like Project Kinship and the city to develop a process where the nearby neighborhoods and businesses feel included during the development of the mural. On March 16th, the artists, community  organizations, El Pollo Loco executives and Ward 3 councilwoman Jessie Lopez all spoke on the importance of developing a public art project for this  neighborhood and how this unique partnership is set to inspire more projects alike.

For a few weeks during the start of the new year, the muralists invited people walking by to look at the project and talk about the neighborhood around them. The location of the mural is also interesting as it is located at what some call the borders of the two Santa Ana’s that exist in the city. Behind the Bowers museum, for example, are some of Santa Ana’s most expensive homes while  across Main Street there is a Motel room where people who have been displaced from their homes rent short to long term stays.

The project also has a strong faith element. Tony Gomez, a local Christian leader in the city, talked openly about praying for the mural and the community during its development. The artists worked under the guidance and mentorship of Damin Lujan, also known as Zaoone, who recently worked on a new mural in Anaheim. 

During the event for the mural, multiple people also spoke about how the mural is already deterring gang affiliated graffiti that would commonly show up on the wall where the piece is currently located. By embracing graffiti style aesthetics, a style embraced by the mentor Zaoone, they also subvert expectations of traditional Chicano murals and nod to local graffiti artists. 

Santa Ana has been in a constant flush of development and tensions between what has been the identity of the city and what the future may bring. In the last few years, a debate over a street car on Main street has divided the city between people who want new economic opportunities for the town versus the majority working class Latino population. Over the years, I’ve spoken and have known cultural leaders who are in general always weary of art projects that may be happening to subvert other policies that displace people. A clear example of this was the renaming of over a decade ago of Calle Cuatro to “Fourth Street” with a replacement of historic Mexican shops. New development came with new art and it was sometimes made by people who were not from Santa Ana. As I looked at this new mural on a Pollo Loco wall, I at first was skeptical but the work grew on me as I got to know the folks behind it. 

Partially funded by the City of Santa Ana Arts & Culture Office and El Pollo Loco, it made me curious to see if this will be an ongoing practice and if we should expect younger Santa Ana artists to benefit from future projects like this. 

“We’re truly looking forward to more projects like these this year and hope to welcome new Santa Ana artists to this process,” Lopez said, assuring me that it will continue.