Meet David Russell of Mobile Mural Lab

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Russell.

The Mobile Mural Lab was conceived as a public art project responding to a Los Angeles sign ordinance that did not discriminate between commercial signs and fine art murals. The drafted language within the ordinance positioned original hand painted murals on private property to be illegal. As a temporary, unconventional solution, David Russell and Roberto Del Hoyo imagined that a retrofitted city search and rescue vehicle could serve as a mobile wall surface to paint over and over again as well as using the interior space to educate and inform, was the perfect legal loophole for visual/ social expression within the streets of L.A.

Roberto Del Hoyo and David Russell met in the Otis College of Art and Design Graduate Public Practice program. Both artists have a background in traditional mural painting and art education. The Otis Public Practice program helped both artists to conceptualize artistic strategies that privilege the mural as a social space and as a departure point for dialogue revolving around critical issues. The MobileMuralLab serves as a space for people to creatively express themselves in public, where advertising dominates the visual landscape.

After six years, the “Lab” has evolved into a mobile art studio serving as a space for public art education and production. Both teach the history of murals and visual literacy specific to Los Angeles, the politics of public space, as well as mural painting techniques. They collaborate with artists, schools, organizations and communities to facilitate interactive mural painting programs, workshops and events.

The Mobile Mural Lab produces temporary and permanent murals as well as mural painting workshops that explore traditional and contemporary wall painting techniques. We developed custom curriculum that incorporates art educational standards through the lens of mural painting. Collaboration, teamwork, and dialogue are key components within their practice.

The MobileMuralLab is almost a full-time practice for Del Hoyo and Russell. Both artists see the MobileMuralLab as a perfect synthesis of their professional passions: teaching and muralism. “The richest projects usually have the highest level of collaboration and participation”. The MobileMuralLab drives Roberto and David to continue collaborating with communities to produce inclusive contemporary murals fostering dialogue and conversation.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Funding in the arts and education continues to be a challenge.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mobile Mural Lab – what should we know?
Mobile Mural Lab specializes in:

-Consultation for Creative Civic Engagement Strategies. Full production services are limited and contingent on individual project needs and goals. Specialization includes: Cross- Cultural exchanges, Community development, & Community input/ public messaging.

-Temporary and Permanent Large-Scale Public Graphics, Signage, Wall Installations & Hand Painted Mural Production, Hand painted and digital installations available to any scale wall/ site. Specialization includes: Custom design work, Collaborative community engagement strategies within production processes, large format transfer-enlargements of any design, mobile mural projects.

-Curriculum Development/ Project Based Collaborative Learning Models, Customized curriculum/ project models- designed in context to specific learning communities.

-Lectures, L.A. Mural/ Graffiti history, Public Art Theory & Modernization of L.A. Infrastructure/ public space

Mobile Mural Lab privileges community networking and authentic sustainable relationships. All of our production services including art education curriculum is customized and designed in context to each specific community.

We are bi-lingual (Spanish & English).

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Collaboration, Respect, Trust, Commitment.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4015 w 22nd Pl
  Los Angeles, CA
  90018
• Website: www.mobilemurallab.com
• Phone: 720-810-1563
• Email: mobilemurallab@gmail.com
• Instagram: mobilemurallab
• Facebook: mobilemurallab
• Twitter: mobilemurallab

     
Image Credit:
Mobile Mural Lab

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