The empty exterior walls of the Hollywood Adventist Church located at the intersection of the 101 Freeway and Hollywood Blvd are highly visible to the thousands of people going by each day. Many hours have been spent painting over the spray paint from tagging crews who take an opportunity to make a highly visible 'mark' with gang symbols and graffiti. Four years ago as the congregation was wondering what do about the graffiti they also began asking themselves, "Where can we join in on good things already happening in the city?". With this in mind a group visited the "Los Angeles River: Meeting of Styles" event.

Wading barefoot, through the murky waters, alongside artists cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs carrying ladders, scaffolding and artist supplies; hearing tires popping and crunching on unseen beer bottles laying at the bottom of the river bed; and watching graffiti artists, working side by side; it occurred to everyone almost simultaneously: a mural could be the answer! Recalling the wall back at church that seemed to be a perpetual graffiti magnet, the decision was obvious and a dream called Crossroads at Hollywood was born.


How was the artist chosen? Why Man One?

?Man One, a Fine Arts graduate of Loyola Marymount University, was the organizer of the Meeting of Styles event; and is recognized as a pioneer in the graffiti art movement, having had his work internationally exhibited in venues like the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Getty. His personal redemptive journey of turning his life around and channeling it to productive, legitimate artistic expression inspired the team members.

Beyond artistic talent, Man One also had a track record of using art to reach out to troubled youth and of bringing communities together. He suggested that the same youth who once had defaced the walls of the church could be convinced to join in making it beautiful and help create the mural. This was exactly the creative and redemptive solution the congregation was seeking. The choice of artist was sealed.


Why solicit community input?

The church believed that the mural should represent the ideas, values, and vision of those who live in Hollywood. Rather than impose their religious views or theology on the design and therefore the community they instead created a process that invited nieghbords to come and share what was important to them. Man One had experience in using public mural-making processes and worked brilliantly to create an artistic vision that held true to the dreams, concerns, and ideas of the local community.

Is art, then, compromised and made subservient to some other spiritual or social agenda?

?We dont believe so; the two are not incompatible. To the contrary, throughout history, great art making, artistic expression and spiritual and social themes and motivations have gone hand in hand. We do believe, to be truly great, art, and this mural in particular, should not be superficial nor sentimental, cluelessly and naively pretty. It should not merely be a Band Aid nor exterior wallpaper on an ugly wall. It could be an opportunity to speak represent something honest and true, perhaps challenging us to wrestle with the deeper questions of life: Who is my neighbor? Who should I include in, or exclude from, my community? Is anyone beyond redemption? Great art, like good religion, is formed in the crucible, in the tension, the give and take of authentic experiences lived in the context of community.


Is it appropriate for a church to promote graffiti art?

The Hollywood Adventist Church believes that each person is made in the image of God. That human nature is inherently and naturally creative. That creativity whether expressed in a painting hung in the Getty Museum or or through the spray can of a graffiti artist is legitimate and a gift from God. For this church working to install graffiti art on the their west wall is an expression of what it means to be a Christian and people of faith.

All money raised will be used to buy the paint supplies needed as well as the scaffolding that must be rented to complete the project. 

?