East Los Streetscrapers
Muralists and Public Art Makers
“Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) is a hero to many people. You can tell by the bronze statues of the 15th-century explorer found in many countries. I’ve seen them in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and, oh yes, the U.S.A. Well, he discovered America…at least that’s what I was taught in elementary school. When I was in the Canary Islands, I was shown the chapel where he prayed the night before he set sail for Asia. Imagine his confusion when he discovered many borders, with many indigenous peoples, none of whom spoke Japanese. They must have gasped at the three naval war vessels, La Niña, La Pinta y La Santa María. After four sorties, the destruction and plunder of the native civilizations by the navigator yielded nothing heroic in the eyes of the Taíno. And yet…there are all those statues.”
Biography
David Botello and Wayne Healy met in an East L.A. kindergarten and became crayon buddies in 1952. Their first collaborative mural was rendered on a 10-foot strip of butcher paper for the classroom’s display during the school’s open house in 1955. Just when things were looking good, the law of eminent domain stepped in and caused a brief—20 years—pause in the lads’ artistic collaboration. Fast-forward to 1975, and we find ourselves in attendance for the opening of an exhibition of East L.A. artists in a West L.A. gallery. The Chicano Art Movement was underway and the murals were well into their first decade. A tall, slender artist from Goez Art Gallery approaches a short, stocky artist from Mechicano Art Center and states, “My name is David and I think I know you.” In response, the other artist says, “My name is Wayne and I’m not sure I know you.”
After a few starts and stutters of “Oh my god,” it seems the crayon buddies have grown up and are standing face to face. “So what are you up to?,” they ask each other. “I’m painting murals,” they utter simultaneously. “What? Where? Which ones?” This conversation goes on into the night. It ends when the two muralists agree to try a collaboration together. Soon, they are calling themselves Los Dos Streetscapers. With the advent of bigger jobs and hired assistants, the team becomes East Los Streetscapers and have gone on to produce public art projects stretching through the present day. That’s 45 years of production…and that’s 68 years since these crayon buddies first met.