1Voice Summer 2019

Teacher Quinn Butterfield, above,
and senior Marlak Villegas left their
mark on the community.
Public Art Reflects
Pico Union’s Roots
Quinn Butterfield was a rookie when she walked through the doors
of University Prep Value High School last year. She inspired students
to create art that “reflects, speaks for, and creates the community.”
Principal Robert Poyer took a
chance on Quinn Butterfield.
Poyer was racing to open Pico
Union’s newest high school and
thought Butterfield might have the
training and talent to get the art
program rolling. His hunch paid off.
Poyer and Butterfield worked
with Team Cedillo on a pilot program
allowing 20 students to use
City utility boxes as urban canvases.
In the process, they learned
about the importance of giving
back to the community.
Her class studied public art and
visited notable local works. They
learned about Fernando Llort, a
late Salvadoran artist known for his
community work. Five teams each
came up with a theme that represented
their lives and a positive
message to convey. Their designs
incorporated Llort motifs and
touched on Pico Union’s long ties
to Central America.
Butterfield and the class presented
a formal project portfolio to
Councilmember Gil Cedillo and the
City Council in the spring. The hard
work began after officials approved
all designs. The teams prepared
their stencils and materials, then
spent every day for two weeks prepping
and painting their boxes.
“I’ve never seen students focus
so hard for eight hours,” Butterfield
said. “They all exceeded my expectations
in every area.”
Marlak Villegas’ utility box
centers on a tree with deep roots
and leaves that evoke the flags of
her classmates’ home-countries.
Villegas plans to begin at Cal State
L.A. this fall, with an eye on majoring
in art.
“I’m so glad we were able to
leave our mark on Pico Union,” she
said.
Jefte Chacon worked on the
“Unity Breaks Walls” utility box.
Chacon registered for the class
expecting cutting-edge electronic
graphics.
Continued on page 7
Photos by Lisa Weingarten
6
ARTS & CULTURE
Streets
of Fire
Kenmore Avenue shined this
spring as teams of street artists
competed in the second annual
Concurso de Alfombras, a cultural
staple across El Salvador and Central
America during Easter Week.
Alfombras – “carpets” in English
– are 2-dimensional graphics created
horizontally on a street, not vertically
on a wall like murals. The images,
borrowing a page from Rose Parade
floats, are created with dyed sawdust
and salt, not paint. Size varies
but most artworks measure 10 feet
by 15 feet.
The event’s religious tone
aligns with Easter Week. Popular
themes this year were the plight of
migrants and newly beatified Salva-
doran martyr Oscar Romero.
Team Cedillo worked on the
event with the Consulate General of
El Salvador and Pico Union’s Saint
Thomas Church.
“We hope Salvadoran families
pass on our cultural traditions so
future generations don’t lose their
cultural identity,” said the consulate’s
Jesus Aguilar.
For a 5-minute Spanish video on
the event: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=5wSHBXIaMy8
Street artists create “carpets” with dyed sawdust, salt and other natural materials along Kenmore Avenue.