With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Campaign to "End Mural Moratorium" Wages On With Petition
Artists and other L.A. residents are speaking out against the city's current crackdown on public art, and are calling for an end to what's being called the "mural moratorium." With much of what was previously considered public art, including murals on private property, now classified as advertising or "signage," there are fewer and fewer legal outlets for artists.A petition campaign is running via Change.org to urge city officials to protest the current language of the law and to encourage the repeal of the mural moratorium.
"Art in the public space is necessary for a healthy visual environment, a counter balance to grey walls and endless advertising, and a huge part of what makes LA's streets so vibrant," explains the petition page on the Change site.
The petition backer references street artist SABER, who recently took to the skies to tag the open air in protest. Following SABER's stunt, Shepard Fairey "sticker-bombed" a L.A. city planner's office.
"Murals are not signs and art is not a crime!" concludes the petition. Head over to the online petition to sign on, if you agree.