Fresno’s art suffering after 2017 renovations

Downtown Fresno’s Mural District boasts dozens of sculptures and murals along Fulton Street and surrounding roads. They brighten up otherwise dim storefronts and dirty sidewalks, though city grime still does its best to seep into the artwork.

When updating the Fulton district in 2017, sculptures were removed for restoration. This $20 million project made the artwork sparkle, but only for a short time. Now, multiple sculptures and water features are riddled with plastic bags and dirty patches.

Despite recommendations from California Waters, the company that installed the decorative fountains, no security cameras or fences were used to protect the expensive sculptures. Furthermore, on Nov. 19, 2021, a 13-foot structure was sawed in half and left cleaved on the sidewalk. The sculpture, Obos by George Tsutakawa, was presumably wanted for its brass metal. Thankfully, it was too heavy for the vandal to carry away.

According to the Fresno Bee, Mayor Jerry Dyer pledged to increase security by installing cameras and decorative fencing around the most valuable public artworks. However, as seen by the state of many of the instillations, his care for the arts is yet to be seen.

Why protect Fresno’s art?

The conservation of murals and statues is valuable to the Fresno community for numerous reasons. Through art, local history is preserved, promoting pride in our city. The beauty and life art brings to the streets of Fulton and other areas inspires creativity in all ages. When properly cared for, artwork can be something that Fresans can take pride in.

Below are the stories of some of the numerous murals and statues that contribute to the city’s rich history.

The late FranCisco Vargas was a prolific artist who painted many iconic murals. One of the more famous local artworks, the Fresno Postage Stamp mural, stretches 125 ft across and features landmarks and city celebrities. A smaller mural, Welcome to Fresno, depicts the Downtown skyline and a field of grapes within the “o.”

Not all of his artworks are Fresno-focused; he helped paint a mural of a humanoid monarch butterfly kissing a man, with the caption “Art inspires life.” For his contributions to the community, he was named artist of the year at the Hispanic Heritage Awards ceremony in 2014, a year before his death to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Yokuts Indian, a statue of a Native American man, represents the Yokut tribe that settled in the San Joaquin Valley. It is a cast bronze sculpture sculpted by Clement Ranzi. It found its home in the streets of Fulton in 1974. Said to be “standing with both arms raised to greet the rising sun,” the only thing he greets now is an empty lot and trash. To get a full view of the artwork, I had to move construction tape to the side, not to mention the graffiti riddled porta potty encroaching its area.

A trio of metal arched gateways and benches makes up Acero Picado by nationally acclaimed artist Gordon Huether. The installation is inspired by papel picado, a form of traditional Mexican folk art. The colorful panels each represent a theme: music, farming and butterflies, important facets of the Central Valley lifestyle.

A boy reading a book followed by dozens of birds graces the side of the CMAC building. Painted by Francisco Letelier, the image represents how minds, imaginations and creativity can take flight. It was commissioned in order to honor the multitude of artists, poets and writers that contribute to the cultural history of Fresno.

La Grande Laveuse, more commonly called the Washer Woman, is an original bronze casting created in 1917 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. While the other five castings in existence are displayed in museums, Fresno’s Washer Woman is open to the public to closely inspect and even touch. Fittingly, it rests on Renoir Corner, a restaurant hub area near Mariposa Plaza.

To locate and read more about public art instillations in Fresno, visit the Downtown Fresno website.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Feather (@thefeatheronline)

To read more, go to PROMO: 2023 Serve Day or Color guard earns gold at opening competition.

Gallery • 33 Photos