Subscriber Comments for
Mural Move

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 299053	2012-07-18 04:05 PM
I hate that mural, always have. Ug.
25/25	2012-07-18 04:19 PM
Ditto. It's freggin ugly and uninspiring.
COMMENT 299062	2012-07-18 04:22 PM
Well I like the mural and I'm happy it's being moved to a location I drive by every day so I can see it.
COMMENT 299073	2012-07-18 04:40 PM
we better hurry and get something inspiring for you guys. I think it's awesome.
SBSWEETPEA	2012-07-18 04:51 PM
Yeah I am glad to know they are saving the murals. I wouldn't say they are ugly they just have that industrial look.
STACE	2012-07-18 04:51 PM
I used to think the mural was depressing...then I started to look at it closely and think about what the artist was trying to "say" in making it. Recently we (Urban Hikers) did some research on the mural and found out quite a bit about it, the artist and how it came to be a part of the Safeway, later Von’s. We spoke with the artist's son, who told us that Joseph Knowles, the artist was born in 1907, and died in 1980, after living in Mission Canyon for many years. Joseph was an artist in may mediums - he was a fine painter, created one of the stained glass windows in the Cate School Chapel, and was one of the original founders of the Santa Barbara School of the Arts (1920's). He later taught art at UCSB when it was on the Riviera campus. The mural was made with tiles that were essentially "bathroom tiles" and were kept whole - every tile is square - which gives the mural a really unusual appearance. If you want to read more, and see a couple of photos of the mural on the day it was unveiled in 1959, read the UH story Marvelous Mid Century Murals. The more I know about this mural, the more I appreciate it. I’m very happy it was spared in the development of the new project.
REDTOP	2012-07-18 04:54 PM
I don't have to like certain art work in order to appreciate it. This mural has been part of my neighborhood for over fifty years. Now, it may be here long after I'm gone. The countless number of hours spent producing the mural earns my respect. It feels right to retain it. Well done!
SBJULES	2012-07-18 05:26 PM
I'm glad it will remain!
CHILI_CON_ARTCARNE	2012-07-18 05:31 PM
My dad was a friend of Joe Knowles. We have some of his works. Remember going to his house somewhere in Mission Canyon when I was a kid.
COMMENT 299110	2012-07-18 05:33 PM
I never thought it was appropriate on the side of a Safeway/Vons store. I usually appreciate murals, but not this one. Maybe in a more appropriate setting it would be more attractive. What is it about that mural that is so uninspiring?
COMMENT 299112	2012-07-18 05:39 PM
Fortunately the universe does not revolve around your opinions, 299053 and 25/25. The mural is a heritage and it is irrelevant whether someone somewhere doesn't like it.
JOHN WILEY	2012-07-18 05:44 PM
Stace, thanks for mentioning your prior article. Was interesting to learn that way back in 1959 he was doing something equivalent to early computer art from decades later - 8 colors and no anti-aliasing, resulting in "pixellated" impressions of scenes.
COMMENT 299132	2012-07-18 06:07 PM
When my family first moved to SB in 1963, I remember sitting in the car waiting while Mom was shopping. I've spent MANY hours looking at that mural, and I'm also glad that they are taking such good care of it. It is a part of my past, too.
COMMENT 299138	2012-07-18 06:24 PM
Yes. Definitely worth saving. So...beautiful. Seriously, WTF?
COMMENT 299155	2012-07-18 07:33 PM
I agree that they are ugly and 70's. Does something being old make it beautiful?
COMMENT 299191P	2012-07-19 07:19 AM
I used to dislike WPA-era murals until I understood the history behind them. Thanks for all the info about these particular murals and how they were created.
RED CREEK	2012-07-19 07:51 AM
Beautiful murals, reflecting both the times in which the artist created them, the materials he had available and the historical account of this area that Knowles was representing. The depiction of the clash of cultures of Chumash and Spanish "invaders" is honest and mirrors those of the earlier Courthouse murals. We are so lucky in SB to have these public art works and the people who have the sense and sensitivity to purchase and display them.
COMMENT 299210	2012-07-19 08:07 AM
What A waste $
COMMENT 299227	2012-07-19 08:47 AM
Yes and so was Santa a part of your heritage and you relegated him to a position of honor by the freeway in Oxnard.... Perhaps these should join him!
FLICKA	2012-07-19 08:53 AM
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", all art brings up a variey of opinions. "Modern art" is critized by many. Some don't like Picasso, etc
DILLYDALLY	2012-07-19 09:44 AM
As far as I know this isn't tax money spent on this. Some very entitled posters who think their personal whim should dictate everything. I didn't love it or give it much thought but I like it more now that I know some history, thanks UH.
COMMENT 299275	2012-07-19 09:55 AM
Those pics are fascinating, particularly knowing how much they weigh and how much care is going into preserving a piece of our history in the form of a mural. Art is always a hotly debated and much criticized topic in our little town. I grew up in Chicago where there is every kind of art & sculpture on the streets for all to experience and in weather that is more extreme than ours. I think we would have a lot more street art in SB if people weren't always so quick to criticize everything new & different. Perhaps TOLERANCE would also be a good attitude to aspire to have when looking at art.
COMMENT 299329	2012-07-19 11:20 AM
Dilly Dally, I don't see any entitled posters dictating anything? Just people saying they don't like that piece of art, that is allowed surely on edhat. I believe a new mural could have been commissioned at far less cost to the contractor than moving this massive unattractive piece that stylistically time has not been kind too. A new commission would also have benefited the local artistic community, sometimes change is good. These message boards seem like the perfect place to discuss such decisions, people will have differing opinions. We will all have to deal with that.
COMMENT 299392	2012-07-19 12:39 PM
Last I checked, this mural was located on property that doesn't belong to anyone posting on here.
COMMENT 299329	2012-07-19 02:26 PM
what's your point 392?
DILLYDALLY	2012-07-19 02:33 PM
Good point 329, maybe I was reading between the lines and making assumptions. It seemed to me that the posters critical of the mural were insinuating it shouldn't have been preserved and moved. Maybe that isn't the case.
COMMENT 299576	2012-07-19 06:36 PM
I wish they had saved the mural that was on the side of the Earthling Bookstore. That image was gorgeous. I appreciate this mosaic mural, too, but I really miss that Solstice-themed mural. It was so bright and lively. I haven't given one red cent to any company that's been in that building since that mural was removed. I hold a grudge like that.
JMAC	2012-07-22 11:31 AM
I've always thought the mural was ugly, but have a great appreciation for it and am very glad it was preserved. I do NOT understand though, WHAT they were thinking when they moved it so close to Chapala Street...it essentially creates a barricade, reminiscent of a freeway noise reduction wall. NOW I hate the thing.

46% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** One comment was removed from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see it.

EDHAT COMMENTS POLICY