 CENTRAL JUVENILE HALL UNVEILS NEW YOUTH-CREATED MURALS
The walls within some living units at Central Juvenile Hall (CJH) in Los Angeles are now the homes of three new murals created by probation youth. Theater of Hearts/Youth First, an artist-in-residence program, guided the youth in creating these latest art workshop masterpieces, with vibrant colors and inspirational quotes now adorning the walls inside CJH’s Boys’ Units P and S and Girls’ Unit CD.
The multi-panned murals were unveiled during a dedication ceremony at Central Juvenile Hall last week, celebrating the collaborative efforts of the Los Angeles County Probation Department and Los Angeles Office of Education (LACOE), along with the support of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Theatre of Hearts/Youth First, a community-based, arts education nonprofit whose mission is to foster ongoing hands-on arts education workshops, commissioned the year-long project, creating three new murals entitled: “The Wall of Achievements,” “The Wall of Unity,” and the “Women of History Quilt,” a colorful tapestry honoring trailblazing female heroines as Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, and Dolores Huerta.
 First District County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis was pleased not only with the murals themselves, but also with the level of dedication and commitment demonstrated by all who were involved with the project, that she describes as doing more than just brightening up a juvenile hall room.
“What it helps to do is instill pride, culture, respect, team-building, a sense of unity, a sense of ownership, and it helps these students to feel empowered in that there’s some self-worth in all of this and it’s lasting,” said Supervisor Solis. “This will stay here even though they will move on in their lives. It’s just amazing.”
According to Theater of Hearts Director and facilitator, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson, each mural is connected to material covered in LACOE’s Road to Success Academy. The mural arts project emphasizes project-based, themed activities that promote self-esteem and empowerment for students to make positive choices and productive behavioral changes.
“We’ve been working with Probation since 1992, and there has been nothing but long-standing support,” commented Scott-Wilkinson. “When artists come through here, the probation officers have been gracious in their support to them and our program. This year, we have provided 646 hours here, working with the kids. Not only with the mural projects, but also, we’ve had dance, theater, and music arts across the board.”
According to Ms. Scott-Wilkinson, the mural creation process starts the classroom where they learn the various techniques such as drawing, and shading, before going to wall for the application part of the process. The final product is a multi-panel mural that remains long after the youth leaves the facility.
L.A. County Probation Chief Deputy for Juvenile Services Sheila Mitchell called the murals a blessing for each youth who participate in its creation.
“This is a learning experience for our young people who are articulating art and capture what you see in these three beautiful murals that they have done,” Chief Mitchell said. “We try to make this place as beautiful as we can with the various partners that we have.”
Central Juvenile Hall Superintendent Alex Nieto says that the youth who took part in the mural project were especially proud of their work.
“It’s quite a work of art; a lot of time was put in with a lot of input from Probation Department and our youth in custody,” Mr. Nieto explained. “I talked to some of the kids here who worked on it and they feel very proud of the work they did.”
Theater of Arts artist Heriberto Luna led his team of 15 youth in the creation of the stunning “Wall of Achievements” mural that featured larger-than-life renderings of civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, the 1968 Black Power Olympic Medal Podium protests and Neil Armstrong’s moon landing. According to Luna, the youth created the theme and symbolism that laid the groundwork for the mural.
“The kids were very proud to be a part of the project (with each individual) dedicating two to three hours at a time,” Luna explained. “They were very in tune to the project, so I had a lot of help, but they literally painted at least 90 percent of the mural.”
Artist Mentor Heriberto Luna led the boys of Central Juvenile Hall in the creation of "The Wall of Achievements," honoring the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.
CJH’s Detention Services Officer Maria Chapa shared her appreciation of the work and dedication that the youth in her charge gave to the mural project.
“It was a great opportunity for my kids to experience the beginning and the end of the creation of the mural,” DSO Chapa described. “They were very into it as far as who leaders were, what their statements mean, they had a lot of questions about some of the symbolism what each of these things mean, so it was very educational in that respect as well. Being a former teacher myself, I recognize important to build up their self-confidence, so for them to see their hard work come to fruition, it was a wonderful experience.”
One of the girls who took part in one of the murals described the process as therapeutic.
“There were days when we wanted to behave and keep to our program without messing up so that we can get to work on painting on the mural,” she said. “I liked how painting allowed me to keep focused and stay calm. To see it finally done was like, wow.”
Please visit laist.com/2019/09/24/arts_central_juvenile_hall_murals.php to read additional coverage of the murals at Central Juvenile Hall.
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