Contact – East Los Luv

Collaborative Community Mural by Stephanie Mercado

Collaborative Community Mural by Stephanie Mercado

Questions or Submissions:

Artist: Stephanie Mercado
Los Angeles, CA
stephaniemercado.com

Email: [email protected]
Social Accounts: @Eastlosluv

eastlosluv

Co-creating art & culture
Public Art Project by Stephanie Mercado @smprojekts
For the love of East LA

Save the date! August 15th will be the opening cer

Save the date! August 15th will be the opening ceremony for Las Dahlias, where East Los Luv lives.
It’s open to the public. Please come celebrate with us! #eastlosangeles #eastlamural

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! The mural was install

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! The mural was installed in January 2024 - and since then I’ve been working on another big project. Thank you to those of you who have seen it in person and have shared feedback with me. You’re helping me to continue going! I appreciate you!

My work on this project is not done yet though! I’ve been working on a catalog for the project. It will share the community member’s stories, mission statement, production photos and more!

#eastla #eastlosangeles #eastside #eastlamural #publicart

Photo by Koury Angelo.

A section of the mural that will be in between win

A section of the mural that will be in between windows. #marouflage #mural #eastla #eastside #stephaniemercado

🦜HUĪTZIL-IN // hummingbird: the resurrected wa

🦜HUĪTZIL-IN // hummingbird: the resurrected warrior belonging to both worlds.

#eastlosluv #mural #eastlos #marouflage #aztec

East Los Classic. #eastsideeatsla #eastlos #eastlo

East Los Classic. #eastsideeatsla #eastlos #eastlosangeles #mural #marouflage #impala #ranfla #lowrider #garfield #roosevelt

Cathy as a Garfield High School Cheerleader, ca. 1

Cathy as a Garfield High School Cheerleader, ca. 1980. 📣
Cathy describes her experience at Garfield High School as “A place where we were taught to dream big and the place where the journey started.”
Cathy now works for Los Angeles County 🌇 serving the East LA community.

Thank you Cathy for participating in this project and sharing your beautiful portrait with us.

Please note: the cheer uniforms in the 80s were red, and the color of the illustration is sourced from the original photo.
#Eastlosluv #Garfield #EastLA #Bulldogs #portrait #mural

Music can remind us of memories, places, and phase

Music can remind us of memories, places, and phases in our lives. Music is critical in defining who we are, and how we determine our identities. It can be used for healing, to communicate emotions, and convey abstract ideas and concepts we can’t express otherwise. Do you have a favorite song that reminds you of East LA? Any musicians in the group?

(Section of a portrait to be shared soon)

#EastLA #publicart #illustration #mural #muralinprogress #portrait #accordion #squeezebox #losangeles #eastlosangeles #rancheras #musician #music

Happy Friday from East Los Luv! I’ve been thinki

Happy Friday from East Los Luv! I’ve been thinking about cultural preservation as an expression of love and shaking things up as an expression of care.

Be your most unique self and fight for what is important to you.
#eastla #mural #hands #eastlosluv #culture #publicart #illustration

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! Thanks to everyone wh

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! Thanks to everyone who has submitted a photo as well as signed photo releases! I’m actively converting photos into drawings for the mural.
I find heartwarming moments in each work… like these lovely baby feet belonging to the Chicano artist @petertovar67 ❤️👶🏻🦶🏻
#mural #publicart #eastla

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! I started practice pa

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! I started practice painting and muralism is totally my flow state. Mind, body and energy in sync.

Here is a snap shot of a section of the first layer with my studio assistant Mac Bunny. Second layer to begin this weekend! #mural #printmaking #collage #flowstate #workinprogress

🙋🏻‍♀️ Hi friends! I am so happy to sha

🙋🏻‍♀️ Hi friends! I am so happy to share *some* of the work done in the last 4 months with you in 56 seconds! Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported this project.

There’s still time to participate! Deadline to submit photos is tomorrow, December 31, 2021.
The coloring/collage activities are open to everyone and anyone wanting to make something. There is no deadline for that. Thank you for following this project! I am looking forward to the next phase of work in the new year… ❤️️

#Eastlosluv #EastLA #mural #publicart #communityengagement #familyphoto #portrait #portraiture #illustration #workshop #yearend #2021
#yearinreview

Self-portrait as a toddler… I’ve been rocking

Self-portrait as a toddler… I’ve been rocking the bangs since I was 2 yrs old! The bowl-cut not so much any more… This is a sample illustration of how photos can be converted to simple line work and shapes for the mural.
This is the final week to submit photos. Deadline is December 31, 2021. Email your photos to Eastlosluv@gmail.com.
#Eastlosluv #EastLA #mural #publicart #communityengagement #familyphoto #portrait #portraiture #illustration

This is a sample illustration of a family photo su

This is a sample illustration of a family photo submitted of Doctor D.’s grandmother, Mama Lucy. “Mama Lucy was hilarious, and the epitome of a strong and independent woman who was ahead of her time.” - Dr. D.

This illustration serves as the guide for the mural. Thank you Dr. D. for supporting this project.
This is the final week to submit photos. Deadline is December 31, 2021. Email your photos to Eastlosluv@gmail.com.

#Eastlosluv #EastLA #mural #publicart #communityengagement #familyphoto #portrait #portraiture #illustration

This is a sample illustration of a family photo su

This is a sample illustration of a family photo submitted by photographer Deissy Flores. This illustration serves as the guide for the mural. Thank you Deissy for supporting this project.
This is the final week to submit photos.
Deadline is December 31, 2021.
Email your photos to Eastlosluv@gmail.com.
#Eastlosluv #EastLA #mural #publicart #communityengagement #familyphoto #portrait #portraiture #illustration

I know you used to doodle all over your Pee-Chee f

I know you used to doodle all over your Pee-Chee folders, notebooks and textbooks when you were in school. It was our way of making a mark, jotting down thoughts, and defining our identities. Make your mark by submitting a photo to be included in the East Los Luv mural.
This is the final week to submit images. Deadline is December 31, 2021.

East Los Luv Pee-Chee folder illustration by Stephanie Mercado.

#Eastlosluv #EastLA #GypsyRoseImpala #WhittierBlvd #ElPino #Lowriderculture #Peechee #retro #LAartist

Happy holidays from East Los Luv! This holiday gre

Happy holidays from East Los Luv! This holiday greeting card was made by one of the children at the Variety Boys and Girls Club in Boyle Heights. Alyson is such a great painter I just had to share this with you! Do you remember making holiday projects as a kid? My favorite was making a Christmas tree out of a magazine by folding the edges of each page down to create a triangular Christmas tree. What did you make?
#Eastlosluv #EastLA #arteducation #LAartist #Boyleheights

This holiday season we send you strength and best

This holiday season we send you strength and best wishes. The pandemic has made the last couple of years more difficult for families who are struggling to get together or stay apart. Let’s do our best to be kind and generous to others (always) but especially during the holiday season, as the holidays can be a difficult time for many.

In the spirit of gratitude and generosity, I am giving away these postcards based on the Fuerza collage by @goldenbadgerclaw . Thanks for supporting this project and happy holidays!

To receive your postcard all you have to do is like this post, or tag a friend, and DM me a mailing address.

#Eastlosluv #EastLA #collage #postcard #deltiology #penpal #giveaway

“An artist’s duty is to reflect the times…” -Nina Simone. Public art documents and enhances the identity and culture of a community. For generations artists have created artworks that are reflective of personal and collective experiences, creating cultural memory, and cultural pride.
Here are a few images of some of the murals in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles (artists and image sources credited below). There are hundreds of murals on the Eastside that were created by artists reflecting and documenting the times. Do you have a favorite mural? Comment below…

Do you want to contribute to a mural? Email Eastlosluv@gmail.com your photos or anecdotes.
Deadline to submit is December 31, 2021.

Video: Nina Simone, Great Performances, by Andy Stroud
Images:

Ernesto de la Loza, Resurrection of the Green Planet, 1991, Cesar Chavez Ave., Public Art in LA, Ruth Wallach
John D. Estrada, Rescate, 1994, Cesar Chavez Ave., Public Art in LA, Ruth Wallach
Alma Lopez and the Mural Workshop, Que Esconde la Esperanza? 1995, Plaza Community Center, Public Art in LA, Ruth Wallach
Willie Herron and Gronk, Moratorium, The Black and White Mural, 1979, Google Arts and culture, photo by Harry Gamboa Jr.
El Congresso de Artistas Cosmicos de las Americas de San Diego (Mario Torero, Rocky, El Lion, Zade), We are Not a Minority, 1978, Estrada Courts, Public Art in LA, Ruth Wallach

#Eastlosluv #EastLA #publicart #mural #boyleheights #Chicanxart #Chicanoart

Nina Simone answers the question “What is an art

Nina Simone answers the question “What is an artist?”.
In addition to reflecting the times with honesty and integrity… artists, creatives, and cultural workers are an important element to creating vibrant, resilient and healthy communities. They are important contributors in creating community and promoting social change. Public art opportunities help bring an artist’s work to public spaces, democratizing art, and creating experiences that emphasize our humanity. East Los Luv is a public art project for the public, with images sourced from the public. Share your photos via email: Eastlosluv@gmail.com
Deadline to submit is December 31, 2021.
#Eastlosluv #EastLA #publicart #mural #familyphotos #artist #ninasimone

Dreaming out loud again… Ask the universe for wh

Dreaming out loud again… Ask the universe for what you really want and maybe it will happen.
This is a photo composite of a print-based collage on the side of the Nike building in East LA.
When you want to make art, you just have to do it.
#EastLosLuv #EastLA #Mural #Publicart #Communityengagement #printmaking #collage #LAartist #Nike #Justdoit

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