FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

ARTIST TAIJI TERASAKI LEADS DISCOURSE SURROUNDING FOOD INSECURITY IN LOS ANGELES WITH MURAL AND PANEL

Famed Art Critic Shana Nys Dambrot Moderates Discussion with Ron Finley, Artists David Allen Burns and Austin Young of Fallen Fruit, and representatives from the Los Angeles Mission and Alma Backyard Farms including Erika Cuellar, Richard D. Garcia, and Dr. Roxanne Jordan

MARCH 5, 2023

Mural Viewing

1pm PT

Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA)

260 S. Main St.

Attendees will be directed to the panel discussion at National Center for the Preservation of Democracy

Moderated Talk

2pm PT

Free | RSVP here

National Center for the Preservation of Democracy

Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

100 N Central Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Los Angeles, CA (February 15, 2023) - Multimedia artist Taiji Terasaki is dedicated to art and activism as a symbiotic relationship, using one to fuel the other and vice versa. With his latest mural “Recipes to Nourish Communities,” Terasaki deftly fuses breathtaking artwork with actionable information about food security in Los Angeles. This love letter to LA’s food activists encourages an honest look at the current state of nourishment in the city, and the work that is being done to improve it. Terasaki invites the community to join in the discussion, first by viewing the mural and then by joining some of the minds behind the featured organizations for a moderated talk.

Terasaki’s moderated discussion at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the JANM, is a free option for greater LA community members to hear about the featured organizations and the creation of the piece, as well as the mural’s trajectory. On March 5th at 2pm famed art critic Shana Nys Dambrot will lead a discussion with mural participants Ron Finley, Artists David Allen Burns and Austin Young of Fallen Fruit, and representatives from the Los Angeles Mission and Alma Backyard Farms including Erika Cuellar, Richard D. Garcia, and Dr. Roxanne Jordan. From Fallen Fruit’s planting of fruit trees for anyone to enjoy, to Ron Finley’s gardening commitment and march in DC for National Food Day, each organization promotes food equity and security, their mission amplified through Terasaki’s public work.

The mural itself, which highlights the importance of nourishing the local Los Angeles community, is executed on aluminum panels and mounted to the exterior of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles’ (MCLA) space at 260 S. Main St. The large collage of images elevates the profile of four organizations/artists committed to providing access to fresh and nutritious ingredients in their corners of LA.

Additionally, Terasaki invites attendees to visit the mural at 1pm ahead of the discussion and walk over for the 2pm panel. With the introduction of AR and technology within the piece, made possible by Future Arts, Terasaki is proud to bring this groundbreaking metal mural to new audiences.

About Taiji Terasaki

Taiji Terasaki is a multimedia artist based in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Growing up in a family of scientists and creatives, with a formal arts education, he has spent years exploring avant-garde innovations in his craft, working in photography, sculpture, immersive and large-scale installations, and pioneering mediums like mist projections on canvas.

Terasaki made his public debut in 2017 with REBIRTH at Honolulu’s Ward Center, and Edible Landscapes for the Trillenium in conjunction with Contact 3017: Hawai‘i in 1,000 Years at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Since then, Terasaki has been shown internationally in several group shows, most notably at the Curitiba Biennial in Brazil and Westwood Gallery in New York. His solo shows include Feeding the Immortals at the Ravizza Brownfield Gallery, Honolulu, Transcendients: Immigrant Stories of Place at Thomas Square, Honolulu (2019); Transcendients: Heroes at Borders, Transcendients: 100 Days of Covid-19, and Transcendients: Memorial to Healthcare Workers at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles; and RESET/RESHAPE at the Schaefer International Gallery, Maui.

Terasaki holds a BFA from University of California, Irvine and studied in the MFA programs at Hunter College, NY and California State University, Long Beach.

Stay connected with the work of Taiji Teraskai by following the studio online at @taijiterasaki or by signing up for the studio's newsletter at www.taijiterasaki.com

About MCLA, the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

To mark the hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in 1984, the city of Los Angeles decided to create ten painted murals along the two main freeways leading up to the Olympic stadium. Over the years, many of these and murals fell into minor to significant disrepair. Rogue taggers began to vandalize public murals with graffiti on top of the existing artwork. Some murals were completely covered or destroyed as a result, resulting in a significant cultural loss for the city. When Kent Twitchell's "Freeway Lady" was painted over without notice in 1986, he and Bill Lasarow decided on the need for what became the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA). Thus founded in 1987, MCLA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to selectively restore, preserve and document the public murals that are located at various points around the City.

MCLA has cooperated with local and state agencies in selecting and conducting restorations, and also legislatively. In 2013 a multi-year effort culminated in passage of Los Angeles’ Mural Ordinance, designed to recognize and protect public murals as artistic assets distinct from forms of commercial signage such as billboards. The success of MCLA has led to the extensions of its work in the City. For example, MCLA collaborated with the organizers of the 2015 Special Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, with three new murals commissioned to celebrate those Games while simultaneously commemorating the 1984 Olympics.

Following a period of hiatus throughout the Covid pandemic, the City of Los Angeles generously provided MCLA with its new space downtown at 260 S. Main in order to renew the commitment to the preservation of key public murals.