The community of Pacoima was in an uproar recently after a photo of a partially removed mural was shared on Pacoima Represent’s Facebook page. But what was initially perceived as possible defacement or removal was the first step in the repair of Levi Ponce and Ernesto Rojas’, aka Serv One, “Lady of the Valley” mural on the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Arleta Avenue in Arleta.
“It gives me goosebumps. It’s incredibly humbling,” Ponce said regarding the community’s reaction and passionate protection of the mural.
“It’s no longer my wall. It becomes part of the city. It becomes part of the architecture and the fabric that sort of binds everybody together in that neighborhood.”
The iconic mural was first painted more than 10 years ago with the help of the GR818ERS who provided community support to the then up-and-coming artists.
It withered away over the years, fading, peeling, cracking and chipping – eaten away by the elements.
Now an established artist, Ponce returned with the support of Pacoima muralist Juan Pablo Reyes, aka JP Murals, and local nonprofits the GR818ERS and Connectopod, to restore the mural to its former glory.
“When I first painted it, I just painted it with what I had. It was a very bare-bones budget. I mean, there was no budget,” said Ponce. “But now that time has passed and there are more resources at hand, we’re able to … do it the right way.”
Originally Ponce painted over decades of underlying graffiti and cover-up paint jobs. Now with years of growth and professional mural experience under his belt, they were able to use proper paints and materials in the restoration.
The first step in the process was a day of removing all the underlying paint that was falling off the wall, power washing that area and painting it with a proper primer layer. Led by Ponce and Reyes, the next three days were spent painting and restoring the mural, during which members of the community were encouraged to stop by and lend a hand. The final step was to coat the mural with an anti-graffiti and UV protection coating, to safeguard it from future damage.
“If the last one lasted 10 years, I think this will easily last 20,” said Ponce.
The Lady of the Valley
“The Virgen de Guadalupe oftentimes represents hope, esperanza, and this unwavering commitment to being better and doing better for many of the residents in the community,” said Pierre Arreola, co-founder of the GR818ERS.
“[Lady of the Valley] is reflective of our culture and our spiritual faith, regardless of religion… [she] represents that embrace, that hope, that symbolic motherly and feminine energy that is needed for us to create,” continued Arreola.
Although the Lady of the Valley intentionally reflects the iconography of the Virgen, Ponce wanted to make something spiritual but not religious, so he painted “the Virgin of Guadalupe without it being the Virgin of Guadalupe.”
Ponce described the neighborhood as going through its ups and downs and at the time he wanted to “inspire people and bring something positive” to the area.
“I figured that everybody could use a little bit of inspiration and a little bit of spiritual nutrition,” said Ponce. “Everybody can use a little Sunday morning throughout the week, not just on Sunday.”
With a mixture of classic and modern styles, she is draped in a green shawl, wears hoop earrings and is surrounded by vibrant red roses. Pacoima imagery – a shopping cart, a soccer ball, a cockroach, etc. – is included in a halo that visually alludes to an Aztec calendar.
“I had a running joke that everywhere you went, there was a shopping cart in Pacoima,” said Ponce. He described how “shopping carts are vital to the economy” and how people without transportation often use them to carry groceries home, or even move loved ones too young or old to walk.
These details further incorporate the community into the Lady of the Valley mural.
When the mural was first painted, one man waiting for the bus was so appreciative he gave Ponce the only token of appreciation he could at the time – a small prayer card with a dove on it. Ponce never saw the man again but painted the dove for him on a smaller wall just left of the mural.
Changing the City Image
Lady of the Valley is part of the three-mile span of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima, now widely known as Mural Mile. The area hosts more than 50 murals but started in 2012 as an art movement by individuals who were intent on improving the aesthetics of their community.
“I was a kid,” said Ponce. “I called it an arts revolution and I was working really hard to sort of change the image, at least visually, of Pacoima.”
Ponce was just 24 at the time and went on to paint 12 murals in the area.
“Growing up in the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, it was hard [in Pacoima]. It’s still very hard for some of our community members,” said Arreola.
“When you put a lot of people together and there’s not a lot of resources … [there’s] a lot of mental stress that is put upon people,” added Reyes.
Reyes – who Ponce dubbed the “King of Pacoima,” the “East Side Sultan” and the “mural mile child” – was just getting out of high school at the time and learned mural painting through the community efforts to revamp the area. He said people would often talk about Pacoima as being a bad area, filled with drugs and gang activity, but that when the murals went up people took notice and started investing more money into programs and infrastructure in the neighborhood.
“I feel like the arts [murals], kind of started changing the point of view of Pacoima. We started getting different opportunities. We started advocating for positivity in our neighborhood,” said Reyes.
“As an artist, the most rewarding feeling you can have is when people appreciate your art, and you leave a stamp for the next generation to come and see it and be inspired.”
Just the Beginning
The restoration finished last week with a community ceremony and certificates of appreciation awarded by Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, who also supported the initial mural when she was a young community organizer. As a thank you to her and others, their names were painted on the wall 10 years ago.
“It’s a testament to Imelda’s commitment to this neighborhood that her name is on that wall,” said Ponce. “There’s no amount of money that’s gonna buy you that spot on that wall. She earned that and I’m so proud of her being councilwoman today.”
Padilla said the murals “created a greater sense of pride and a greater sense of community.” She is looking into future funding that might be available from her office because “creating murals and enhancing Van Nuys Boulevard is definitely within our goals.”
Connectopod – a nonprofit organization that teaches podcasting skills to youth reporters – has previously worked with Ponce, including translating homeless youth’s stories into a mural. They teamed up with him once again to fund and support the restoration of the Lady of the Valley mural.
But Ponce and Connectopod hope this is just the beginning. The organization applied for a grant to continue restoring murals in the area and to paint new ones, with the young podcasters simultaneously telling the community and muralist’s stories.
“It would be wonderful to have this collaboration with all of these people who have over these 10 years continued to grow and continued to give back to this community,” said Betsy Foldes Meiman, co-founder of Connectopod.
Ponce said he feels an obligation to give back to the community that raised him, and believes this is an opportunity to do things bigger and better than before – a sentiment shared by the GR818ERS.
“Rehabbing of these murals doesn’t only represent real beautification of the community and revitalization of that area, but it also presents an opportunity for us to look back at the work that’s been done and at the change that has come to the community,” said Arreola.
Arreola described how when you are in the process of painting a mural, you don’t see the final product until you take a step back. He said that process reflected where they are in life, taking a step back to recognize their accomplishments.
“[We were] revisiting and taking a step back from all the years of work that we’ve been doing, and seeing that while it might not have all been perfect … the mural, the mosaic, that has come out of it has been amazing and beautiful,” said Arreola.
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