Artist Statement:
Hecho A Mano was commissioned in 2015 and installed in 2020. During my community engagement, I asked people to bring me objects of significance that they believed embodied themselves as Boyle Heights residents, or the neighborhood of Boyle Heights itself. I had three public photo shoots at Mariachi Plaza and Self Help Graphics, as well as individual photo shoots with specific participants. The participants were asked to pose with the objects in their hands. After collecting over 300 photographs I selected 16 objects. The composition of the 16 objects and hands creates a narrative about Boyle Heights and Mariachi Plaza.
Design wise, I wanted the mural to have a contemporary feel and also give a nod to the Chicanx mural legacy. I wanted the objects of significance to have a graphic feel, so I created small papercuts of all them, using a knife and black paper. I enlarged the papercuts and traced them onto the mural panels and painted them using flat colors. I wanted the hands to have a traditional painterly look, so I painted them on the mural panels with layers of colors, using my photographs as references.
For the background, I was inspired by Mexican oil cloth design. I chose a monarch butterfly motif. The monarch represents migration, and the plight of Mexican and Central American immigrants making their way to the United States and East Los Angeles. They are also a symbol of global warming and ecological destruction, as their population have been decimated in recent years.
The mural took 5 years to realize and 1 year to paint. I painted the mural 2 panels at a time, in my studio in my backyard. During this period I was also raising two young children, born in 2015 and 2018. The mural is painted on honeycomb aluminum, and each panel weighed hundreds of pounds and required a crew to move.
Break down of each object:
Fedora
The model for the fedora was Pachucho Manny who drives a 33 chevy. I met up with Pachuco Manny at Whittier and Atlantic for the photoshoot. The fedora represents both the original Pachucho culture and the subsequent generations of people who identify and recreate Pachucho culture. A Pachucho represents social defiance.
Feather
The model for this object is Rosanna Esparza Ahrens. This is a snake eagle feather. In Rosanna’s words: The Eagle is considered the messenger to Creator. The Eagle feather carries the same significance and respect as the Eagle that flies to the highest realms of our world, which is seen as access to and holds the attention of Creator. In spiritual practice the Eagle feather is medicine when utilized in ceremony to waif up prayers and smoke to the highest realms where Creator listens. In community practice the Eagle feather in the talking circle commands respect, where the holder of the feather also hold the Palabra and all that are present must show respect and give their attention.
Baby
These are my own hands, and my own contribution to the mural. This is my first-born daughter, Indigo Romero, who was born just before I was asked to apply for this commission. She represents future generations and hard work and sacrifice the people of Boyle Heights make to ensure their children’s future.
Protest Sign
This sign represents the continuous fight is Boyle Heights for social justice, throughout the decades. The hand model is Mita Cuaron, a participant of the 1968 East LA walkouts. I looked through historical photos of the 1968 walkouts to find the word Justicia. I hired “The Clover Signs” to help with the hand lettering, because I have very little practice with sign painting or hand lettering.
Día de los Muertos
The hand model for these objects is Ofelia Esparza, who is well known for her Day of the Dead altars and her contributions to the day of the dead celebrations in East LA. She is holding paper marigolds and a skeleton diablo from Mexico.
Violin
The violin provides the melody in the Mariachi assemble. This violin was modeled by a young Mariachi musician we photographed in Mariachi Plaza.
Sombrero
The Mariachi hat is worn by Mariachi musicians are part of their performance attire. I chose it as highly symbolic of Mariachi Plaza, which is named, of course, after the Mariachi musicians who gather above the metro station. This hat was modeled by Christian Espinoza in Mariachi Plaza.
Challah
I chose challah bread to represent the historic Jewish community in Boyle Heights. The challah represented in the mural was obtained from Canter’s deli on Fairfax. The original Canter Brothers Deli was located on Brooklyn Avenue, in Boyle Heights. Boyle Heights was home to a Jewish baker’s union in the 1920s. The challah was modeled by Daniel Gutierrez.
Photos
These vintage photos were modeled by a woman from a group called the Old Timers. The top photo depicts my grandparents, Edward and Delia Romero, who lived on Lanfranco Street in Boyle Heights. The three little boys on the right photo were my two uncles, Richard and Jerry Romero, who are deceased, and my father Frank Romero. The third photo was brought in by the model.
Guitar
This guitar was also modeled during our original photoshoot in Mariachi Plaza, by a Mariachi musician.
Corn
This elote was modeled by a young man from the Mariachi Plaza farmer’s market. I chose the corn to represent the food and cuisine of Mexican Americans because it is the base of so many recipes and because of its cultural and spiritual significance.
Sahumerio with Sage
This object was modeled by JoAnna Mixpe Ley. It is used in both community and personal ceremonies. It holds fire which is one of the essential elements in life. People place a piece of carbon/charcoal in it, and then add copal, sage, cedar, tobacco, or sweet grass. The carbon is buried after ceremony to plant the prayers into the earth.
Sneakers
These sneakers were modeled by one of the runners in the Boyle Heights Bridge Runners, a community-based running crew. The Boyle Heights Bridge Runners represent community activism.
Newspaper
This newspaper was modeled by a writer for the Boyle Heights Beat. This young man was just about to start his college career when he brought this object in. He valued writing and freedom of speech. The newspaper shows a picture of the original 6th street bridge, which was demolished in 2016.
Teapot
This teapot was modeled by a shop owner in Little Tokyo, where I was researching the Japanese American community. There was a large Japanese population in Boyle Heights before WW2. I chose the teapot as a recognizable representation of the Japanese home.
Scissors
These scissors were modeled by Maria Pacho, who inherited her Boyle Heights home from her grandmother. Her grandmother supported herself and her family by working as a seamstress. Maria modeled both her grandmother’s original sewing machine and her sewing shears for me.
Painting assistants: Juan Mendoza, Christian Espinoza, Christal Perez, Sophia Hess
Photography: Rafael Cardenas, Armando Velez