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EMILY TRUELOVE

#05046316 | GR 601: Type Systems | SP21

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Project 2: Deploy Phase

The Mural District in my hometown Fresno, CA is a lively arts district that features large murals proudly displayed throughout the downtown area. Some of the newest murals on display were completed last year by local muralist Joshua Wigger. The exhibit will benefit from the application of a unifying visual system throughout this project.

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Creative Brief

Artists

Joshua Wigger

Venue

Fresno's Downtown Mural District

Positioning Statement

The objective of this project is to create a cohesive system for the Mural District that enables the audience to find and interact with the artwork.

Target Audience

May 2021

The target audience of this project is local residents of Fresno and Clovis. The audience has been broken down into three personas: 1. Mural district enthusiasts 2. Casual passerbys 3. Anti-graffiti proponents

Artist Work

Keywords

Dates

1. Urban 2. Kaleidoscopic 3. Handcrafted

Deliverables

1. Narrative: 9"x12" guide to selected murals with news articles 2. Enviromental: Standing map, A-frame, two lightpost banners, and a

hanging banner 3. Digital: App with GPS markers of murals, navigational directions, and an AR element to interact with the murals

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Annotated Visual System

Typographic Elements

Headline: INDUSTRY INC, STENCIL | 36/40 | FL-RR | ALL CAPS Pull quotes: Industry inc, base | 24/28 | fl-rr | all caps Introductory Information: Cordale, Regular | 14/18 | FL-RR | U&lc | 1.5x Leading Body Copy: Aktiv Grotesk, Light | 11/15 | FL-RR | U&lc | 1.5x Leading Captions: Interstate, Light | 8/12 | FL-RR | U&lc | 1.5x Leading

Colors

Graphic Elements

CMYK C=16 M=12 Y=12 K=0

CMYK C=23 M=100 Y=100 K=19

CMYK C=24 M=39 Y=100 K=1

CMYK C=79 M=47 Y=98 K=56

CMYK C=72 M=69 Y=65 K=86

RGB R=211 G=211 B=212

RGB R=166 G=3 B=3

RGB R=217 G=151 B=28

RGB R=28 G=64 B=18

RGB R=13 G=6 B=9

HEX #D3D3D4

HEX #A60303

HEX #D9971C

HEX #1C4012

HEX #0D0609

PMS 427 C

PMS 2350 C

PMS 7563 C

PMS 2411 C

PMS Black 6 C

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Urban Mood Boards

Type

Layout Style

Imagery

Graphic Elements

Written Content

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Master Page and Style Sheets

REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Narrative Deliverable Dimensions: 9" x 12"

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REVITALIZE THE MURAL DISTRICT

Featuring the work of Joshua Wigger May Edition

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Broadway & Sac St: Live Music

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Fulton & Calaveras: Food Trucks

7:00 PM–10:00 PM

4:00 PM–11:00 PM | Friday–Sunday

May 1: Hands That Kill May 8: Tribute of a Down May 15: Raven’s Nevermore May 22: Worthless Liars May 29: Battle of the Bands

WTF: Where’s the Food? Put the South in Your Mouth The Smokin’ Burrito and more!

may in the mural district

Featured Artist: Joshua Wigger

Entering the Mural District Fulton and Divisadero Iron Bird Lofts Fulton 55 Broadway and Amador Econo Inn Alley Art Vagabond Lofts Broadway and Calaveras 1698 Broadway Corner Tokyo Gardens Detour Scavenger Hunt Sponsors

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Now Entering the Mural District

A lot of people, even artists, get confused with terms graffiti and mural art. That’s understandable, considering the world we live in is confusing. The language is fluid, and art is subjective. However, to truly understand these art forms knowing the difference between graffiti and murals is required. Most people use these terms interchangeably to praise a particular art form like when they say this street art is better than an ugly graffiti, or that’s not legal graffiti, it is a wall painting a.k.a. mural. This is a short explanation of these art forms. To understand them better and in details let’s take them one by one.

WHAT IS GRAFFITI?

WHAT IS MURAL ART?

Graffiti is usually created to show aggression in the form of characters, backgrounds, etc. This artform is done without permission and involves letter-based tags and pieces. Some people use graffiti to claim an area, to awaken people, or take on rivaling crews. When a name is written with single lines and is thrown up in bubble letters often with one color to fill and others to create a background or character with different pieces of art that have a common color scheme is called graffiti.

Mural art has been around since human existence. It is a commissioned piece of artwork painted on a wall, ceiling, etc. Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera is famous for his plaster murals that grace the walls of Rockefeller Center.

It is predominantly painted with spray cans, but marker pens, paint rollers, fire extinguishers, etc can also be used to create graffiti. Artists who create this form of artwork usually do so under the guise of pseudonyms. Elaborate and figurative graffiti is often combined with images and patterns.

Mural artwork harmoniously incorporates architectural elements of the given space into the picture. All paintings of the mural aren’t painted on the wall, some of them are first painted on a large canvas and then attached to walls. This technique became common in the 19th century and, therefore, many murals were created during the Renaissance. Unlike graffit, the mural art form is done with permission. The artists are recognized for it and are paid well to paint the wall. Usually, artists sign the painting with their real name but with time this has become more fluid.

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From the newly opened Iron Bird Lofts on Divisadero Street, extending all the way to Broadway Studios on Tuolumne Street, large murals cover the walls of new construction and old buildings waiting to be revitalized. Some people have had their eye on the Iron Bird Lofts since the developers unveiled what many did not expect to see: gargoyle sculptures at the corners of the building grasping onto their younglings as they attempt to fly away.

IRON BIRD LOFTS

1901 Fulton Street

Still, those who choose to live in the lofts tend to find the street art appealing. Billy Delara, who currently lives in the Tower District, said they are moving into the H Street Lofts in March.

The Iron Loft murals are large creative art pieces surrounding the entire building. Mural artist Joshua Wigger’s featured piece can be found just outside of Rio Acai.

“There’s nothing else in Fresno like it,” Delara said, speaking of the presentation of the lofts. “It never really bothers me. I was going to protest when the neighborhood wanted to paint over the mural.” Delara added that they have seen the gargoyles at the Iron Bird Lofts and appreciated their presence. “They’re pretty funny,” Delara said. “I tend to like stuff like that.” From what he has heard, it is clearly a statue that is bound to start some controversy.

Fulton 55 875 Divisadero Street

File this under: “Stuff We’ve Been Saying for Years.” OR: IT’S ABOUT TIME. Joshua Tehee, Fresno Bee

The digital media company Thrillist recently included Fresno in its list of the best cities in America for street art. Which means, for the sake of the Thrillist piece at least, Fresno ranks alongside Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit. “Sometimes mural projects are led by artist collectives and/or community development organizations, and sometimes an enterprising developer sees the value in public art without needing to be approached by such collectives and organizations, or only showing interest after the others have already done the real beautification work. Such was the case in Fresno, where artist and developer Reza Assemi renovated several buildings into mixed-use residential and commercial developments and covered them all in eye-popping murals in what is now called the Mural District, which has become the cultural and arts epicenter of Fresno.”

Fulton 55 features the newest piece from mural artist Joshua Wigger. Completed in 2020, the venue is looking forward to opening back up for live entertainment.

Most times, and in the case of Fresno for sure, it’s actually a combination of all of those things. But, Assemi was as integral as anyone in leading the charge in Fresno, so I’ll let the simplification stand.

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Construction is underway on the former Econo Inn at 1828 Broadway St., slated for a finish by mid-2021. The current project will feature 25 affordable studio units and a one-bedroom unit. The Fresno Housing Authority, along with the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, is doing a complete rehabilitation of the building interior. Units will have redone bathrooms and kitchenettes and there will be community green space. Members of the Fresno Arts Council put out a call to local artists to select public art to be featured there.

Econo inn alley art 1828 Broadway Street

Econo Inn Alley Art is a large abstract colorful art piece covering the entire back wall of the Econo Inn. It was completed by mural artists Joshua Wigger and Mehran Heard in 2004. Scars remain from the buildings troubled past, but a rebirth looms in the near-future.

It’s this whole idea of perseverance, of being rewarded for the fight of going against all odds. Joshua Wigger, mural artist

After learning the rich culture and history of the building they purchased, investors Es Esposo and Yem Huynh saw the opportunity to help the Mural District’s revitalization. The pair approached muralist Josh Wigger shortly after finishing his piece on the side of Fulton 55 in hopes of displaying the story behind the Koi Fish. “I am just so impressed with this mural,” says Fresno Foundation Executive Director Jan Minami. “This one has almost a delicacy that is very impressive and we’d like to see more work by this muralist.” Minami says the goal of the revitalization is not only to survive the pandemic and construction projects but to thrive, much like the area did in the 1950s.

vagabond lofts 1805 Broadway Street

The outside walls of the Vagabond Lofts feature two unique, detailed murals, so it’s tempting to spend a lot of time outside. Inside, the studios definitely have a Bohemian vibe—there’s even a tattoo studio. The lighting is moody and there are hallways of doors leading to artist spaces.The whole vibe is very mysterious and exciting. If you want to see a wide variety of artists, their art, and where and how they work, this is the place to visit. Broadway Studios also is home to the old Vagabond Inn sign. The Vagabond Lofts often has performance art, so it’s great place to wrap up the evening on Art Hop nights. A visit there always inspires a sense of discovery; with such a large group of artists in one location, there’s art in every nook and cranny. It’s also a great way to encourage young artists in Fresno. Because many of the artists are up and coming, just a visit to their studio lends great encouragement and support.

ten FresYes Points if you remember the fight from Fresno’s skating community when the hotel pool was being demo’d.

The Vagabond Lofts murals are vibrant art pieces that surround the buildings exterior walls, created by Josh Wigger and Jason Graham in 2006.

Joann Hallum, FresYes.com

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Large-scale mural projects are often spearheaded by nonprofit groups, government organizations, or artists and gallery owners—each with their own visions for the public art that are closely aligned, and will work together to see their shared idea come to life.

But the business community isn’t always part of the first wave on board. Property owners might allow a group to paint a mural on their buildings, but they’re not usually seeking them out or taking a proactive role in making such an effort a reality. The story of downtown Fresno’s public art is, well, a little bit different.

1698 broadway corner 1698 Broadway Street

The Mural District now encompasses several city blocks downtown, all of it covered in elaborate fine art murals, and Assemi continues to work on redeveloping historic buildings into mixed-use spaces with strong arts components. He just finished up a project that was a complete restoration of the historic Pacific Gas & Electric building built in 1926, once home to the Fresno Met, with a marketing company as its anchor tenant and a gallery space in the lobby. “I know that cities all over the country are doing amazing art projects, but what makes Fresno special is that we are doing this on our own,” says Gretchen Moore, V.P. of the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Director of the Downtown Fresno Foundation.

We may not have the funding for formal programs, but we do always have a deep appreciation for art and beauty.

1698 Broadway Corner mural shows a women with blue wings and a bright white moon shining behind her.

Gretchen Moore, Vice President of the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Executive Director of the Downtown Fresno Foundation

She continues, “The thing people need to understand about Fresno is that we don’t have support from big foundations or major corporations dumping money into the arts here—not the way that other cities do. So everything we do is the result of sheer will and determination. We may not have funding for formal programs, but we do have a deep appreciation for art and beauty. Which means that including artwork into our development projects happens pretty organically.”

tokyo gardens 1711 Fulton Street

Assemi was attracted to this area of Fresno because, he says, the two freeways that connect nearby weren’t there yet and the downtown stadium wasn’t there yet. Sure, it was in close proximity to the historic Warnor’s Theatre and the Tower District—the closest thing to an “artsy” district in Fresno at the time—but much of the land in the immediate area sat empty.

STREET ART IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TYPES OF ART.

Tokyo Garden is an iconic Fresno restaurant. This mural was created, not only to pay homage to this local institution, but also to encourage viewers to immerse themselves in the sense of calm offered by this artwork.

Roy Flake, art major at CSU Fresno

“It was a very different downtown 16 years ago,” says Assemi. “Like so many cities, it lacked any real urban planning for years, but that particular part of downtown was an open palette. It didn’t really have that density but it had more of a neighborhood-type feel. As far as amenities, it was all just right there because downtown Fresno was just two minutes away.” He knew all the other guys who moved into that first building with him, and remembers how the city felt like a ghost town at night. “The only things you saw were things you didn’t want to see,” he laughs. “When I look at how much it has changed exponentially in 16 years, it’s amazing.”

Detour

Stay up to date on the projects and adventures of our featured artist, Joshua Wigger, on Instagram: @RNDM_Wigger

scavenger hunt

Write down the address of each mural then head over to an info booth to be entered in the May lottery.

The plaza behind me has been the home to Art Hop events from the inception of the tradition.

No one knows who made me or what I say. Even the people that live here wonder.

You might think you’ve left the district, but I keep a watchful eye from the furtherst corner.

My building’s been boarded up for a while, but you can still hear the music playing next door.