{"id":228685,"date":"2026-03-20T15:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T15:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/228685\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T15:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T15:37:12","slug":"what-to-do-with-californias-many-cesar-chavez-murals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/228685\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do with California’s many Cesar Chavez murals?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Public murals are among the best ways to honor our heroes, which is why dozens of murals of civil rights icon Cesar Chavez dot California\u2019s landscape. Those images are now deeply upsetting after shocking revelations<\/a> published in a recent New York Times investigation that allege Chavez sexually abused girls as young as 12 and raped his fellow labor organizer Dolores Huerta.<\/p>\n

According to the nonprofit Travel Santa Ana<\/a>, the Chavez mural, created in 2008 to commemorate the launch day of the city\u2019s KaBoom playground and Jerome Community Learning Garden, is \u201cone of 30 murals around California that was commissioned by a project commemorating Cesar Chavez, initiated by Maria Shriver and former LA Mayor [Antonio] Villaraigosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s 30 from a single project \u2014 the total number would be impossible to count. It\u2019s hard to overstate the prominence of Chavez\u2019s legacy in California, where his name and likeness are ubiquitous on the sides of bodegas, in parks, on street signs, on schools and memorialized in statues. He was considered a man of the people, which is why murals, created in unassuming local spaces, seemed especially fitting.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now up to the public that revered him and is now grappling with the pain of his misdeeds to decide what should become of his painted image. California lawmakers announced their intention to rename the upcoming Cesar Chavez holiday \u201cFarmworkers Day,\u201d and that idea could be extended to murals of Chavez. These artworks could be remade to instead celebrate the achievements of the many people \u2014 especially the women and girls \u2014 who marched and fought for the labor movement. <\/p>\n

I expect changes to these murals will come swiftly. A statue of Chavez at Fresno State<\/a> has already been covered and will soon be removed.<\/a> Maybe it can be melted down to create something new and uplifting. We can paint over the past, but we should never forget.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Arts editor Jessica Gelt, looking forward to gazing at a mural of Huerta in the very near future.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re reading Essential Arts <\/p>\n

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The week ahead: A curated calendar<\/p>\n

FRIDAY
Brokentalkers
Through music and dance, the Dublin-based theater company presents \u201cBellow,\u201d the story of Irish accordionist Danny O\u2019Mahony as he revisits key moments when mentorship, mastery of the craft and preservation of the art form influenced his path.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Piano recital with Gilles Vonsattel, solo
Camerata Pacifica presents the third program of \u201cBeethoven 32,\u201d a three-year Beethoven cycle in which principal pianist Vonsattel performs all 32 of the composer\u2019s piano sonatas.
7 p.m. Friday. Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Rd., Santa Barbara. 8 p.m. Sunday. The Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. cameratapacifica.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Sex, Lies and Harold Pinter
Two of the playwright\u2019s darkly comic one-acts, \u201cParty Time\u201d and \u201cThe Lover,\u201d are paired.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays, through April 26. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com<\/a><\/p>\n

SATURDAY
And the Beat Goes On
The Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles performs American classics from R&B, Motown, gospel and musical theater with Emmy Award-winning host and GMCLA alum Melvin Robert and soprano Nicole Heaston.
8 p.m. Saturday; 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills. GMCLA.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Cirque Kalabant\u00e9\u2019s Afrique en Cirque
A celebration of African culture featuring acrobatics accompanied live Afro Jazz, percussion and kora.
8 p.m. Saturday. Carpenter Performing Arts Center, CSULB, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org<\/a>; 3 p.m. Sunday. The Soraya, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge. thesoraya.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Artist <\/p>\n

Artist Todd Gray has a show at Perrotin.<\/p>\n

(Kyungmi Shin)<\/p>\n

Todd Gray
A solo exhibition of the artist\u2019s photosculptures, \u201cPortals,\u201d continues his interest in the effects of colonization, the built environment and the natural world. Gray will be in conversation with LACMA chief executive Michael Govan on Tuesday.
Opening reception, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday; conversation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; exhibition continues through May 30. Perrotin Los Angeles, 5036 W Pico Blvd. perrotin.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Convergence: Contemporary Artists of Armenian Descent
More than 20 artists, in work ranging from abstraction to conceptual installations, interrogate the complexities of their cultural identities.
Through Aug. 9. Forest Lawn Museum, 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale. museum.forestlawn.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Esther <\/p>\n

Esther Chung and Ins Choi in \u201cKim\u2019s Convenience\u201d at the Ahmanson.<\/p>\n

(Dahlia Katz)<\/p>\n

Kim\u2019s Convenience
Playwright Ins Choi stars in this production of his award-winning comedy drama, about a Korean family-run corner store in Toronto, that inspired the TV series. Directed by Weyni Mengesha.
Through April 19. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 singalong
Bop to the beat of this year\u2019s two-time Oscar-winner \u2014 animated feature and original song \u2014 at this special Academy screening.
11 a.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Miss Velma in the City of Angels
In the \u201cReligion and Ritual\u201d section of the ongoing Art of the West exhibition, this new installation features a custom-made dress worn by the charismatic co-founder of the Universal World Church in Los Angeles.
Opens Friday. The Autry, 4700 Western Heritage Way. Griffith Park. theautry.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Ok, Olympia, Let\u2019s Go!
Apollo Dukakis wrote and performs the one-act play \u201cYou and Me\u201d alongside Kandis Chappell in a multimedia celebration of his sister, the late Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis. Playwright and filmmaker Graham Barnard hosts with special invited guests.
8 p.m. Saturday. 3 p.m. Sunday. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Song Of The North
Hamid Rahmanian created this multimedia production using shadow puppetry and projected animation to reimagine the Persian epic \u201cShahnameh\u201d about a fierce heroine and her quest to save her beloved.
2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and March 28 to 29; 7 p.m. Saturday and March 29. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave. pasadenaplayhouse.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The exhibition \u201cTurner & Constable\u201d at the Tate in London is featured in a new documentary on the two British painters.<\/p>\n

Turner & Constable
Laemmle\u2019s \u201cCulture Vulture\u201d series presents this documentary on two of Britain\u2019s finest artists \u2014 J.M.W. Turner and John Constable \u2014 their rivalry as very different landscape painters and the current exhibition at the Tate in London. Directed by David Bickerstaff.
10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; 7 p.m. Monday. Laemmle Glendale, 207 N. Maryland Ave.; Laemmle Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino; Laemmle Monica Film Center, 1332 2nd St. laemmle.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Vertigo in Concert
Sarah Hicks conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing the Bernard Herrmann score for Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s classical psychological thriller live to screen.
8 p.m. Saturday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com<\/a><\/p>\n

SUNDAY
Network
The American Cinematheque presents screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky\u2019s prescient 1976 media satire for its 50th anniversary and in tribute to actor Robert Duvall.
7 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Yefim Bronfman
The pianist performs selections from Schumann, Brahms, Debussy and Beethoven. Rescheduled from Feb. 11.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Geoff <\/p>\n

Geoff Elliott in \u201cDeath of a Salesman\u201d at A Noise Within.<\/p>\n

(Daniel Reichert)<\/p>\n

Death of a Salesman
A Noise Within co-artistic director Geoff Elliott steps into the shoes of Arthur Miller\u2019s beleaguered working man.
Through April 19. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. anoisewithin.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Ebell + LA Festival: Powered by Women
A free celebration of art, activism and community spirit featuring performances, classes and crafts.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Ebell of Los Angeles, 741 S. Lucerne Blvd. ebellofla.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Akinsanya Kambon: The Hero Avenges
A conversation between the sculptor known for his work inspired by the Black diaspora, African histories and mythologies, and Hammer curator Pablo Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez, plus the premiere of a new eponymous documentary directed by Gabriel Noguez and Sean Rowry and a book signing of the monograph \u201cAkinsanya Kambon: The Hero Avenges.\u201d
2 p.m. Sunday. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

MONDAY
Lang Lang Plays Beethoven
The piano virtuoso joins the Pacific Symphony for performances of Beethoven\u2019s \u201cPiano Concerto No. 3\u201d and Egmont Overture, plus Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Ninth Symphony, \u201cFrom the New World.\u201d
8 p.m. Monday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. pacificsymphony.org<\/a><\/p>\n

TUESDAY
Gerald Barry\u2019s \u2018Salome\u2019
Thomas Ad\u00e8s conducts the L.A. Phil in the U.S. premiere of Barry\u2019s new opera, based on the Oscar Wilde play.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com<\/a><\/p>\n

WEDNESDAY
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The illustrious troupe performs two alternating programs as part of its exclusive multiyear Southern California residency under the leadership of new Artist Director Alicia Graf Mack.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday to March 28; 2 p.m. March 28 to 29. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. musiccenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n

THURSDAY
Level Up!
A trans tween feels like she can only be herself in her virtual world in the Latino Theater Company\u2019s world premiere of a resonant, family-friendly play by Gabriel Rivas G\u00f3mez. Directed by Fidel G\u00f3mez.
Previews through April 3. Opens April 4 and runs through May 3. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Arts Anywhere<\/p>\n

BroadwayHD
Don\u2019t get out to the theater as much as you\u2019d like? This decade-old streaming service could be a viable supplement to your live theater habit. It offers a nice variety of shows from Broadway and the West End, off-Broadway, plays, musicals and virtually anything in between. BroadwayHD: $20 per month or $200 per year.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Book <\/p>\n

\u201cFuture Relic: Failures, Disasters, Detours, and How I Made a Career as an Artist\u201d by Daniel Arsham.<\/p>\n

(Simon & Schuster)<\/p>\n

Future Relic: Failures, Disasters, Detours, and How I Made a Career as an Artist
Part memoir, part how-to, contemporary artist Daniel Arsham\u2019s new book shares pragmatic advice on things like how to get a gallery, why you need a great lawyer, how to run a creative business and the importance of building a network of successful people. Bursting onto the scene more than 20 years ago with a bold vision across multiple mediums and accruing an eclectic list of big-name collaborators, including Merce Cunningham, Pharrell Williams, Pok\u00e9mon, Tiffany & Co. and Cleveland Cavaliers, he quickly found both critical and commercial success. In a 2014 review of the artist\u2019s work, Times contributor Sharon Mizota wrote<\/a>, \u201cDaniel Arsham\u2019s casts of everyday or recently obsolete objects in sand, volcanic ash or various kinds of rock are like premature fossils, or perhaps eerie premonitions of ruin to come.\u201d At a time when everything in the world is starting to feel obsolete, including us, \u201cFuture Relic\u201d could find a place on the bookshelves of many would-be creatives. (Think of it as a companion to Rick Rubin\u2019s \u201cThe Creative Act: A Way of Being.\u201d). Authors Equity: 320 pp. $30.<\/a><\/p>\n

Out of Vienna
The acclaimed Berlin-based chamber ensemble Leonkoro Quartet, formed in 2019, has released its stellar debut recording after winning a string of prestigious awards across Europe. An exploration of early 20th-century modernism in the Austrian capital, the album features compositions by Alban Berg, Anton Webern and Erwin Schulhoff. Alpha Classics: Available on CD ($19) or download ($9.25).<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Crust<\/p>\n

Culture news and the SoCal scene \"Spring <\/p>\n

Spring is here, and with it many arts and culture entertainment choices.<\/p>\n

Team Arts is publishing its Spring Arts preview this Sunday and we have been rolling out the stories online this week, beginning with a roundup of 26 of the most exciting L.A. concerts, theater, art and dance events this season<\/a>. Theater critic Charles McNulty sat down with three of the city\u2019s most prominent regional theater leaders to talk about how they are working to reimagine live theater <\/a>in order to boost attendance and morale for the art form during this perilous time of dwindling attention spans and political instability. We also compiled a roundup of this year\u2019s biggest museum openings<\/a> to illustrate just how huge a year it is for art in L.A.<\/p>\n

McNulty has been extra busy lately and has delivered a series of reviews. Harry Potter fans will enjoy his take on Daniel Radcliffe in Broadway\u2019s \u201cEvery Brilliant Thing,\u201d<\/a> which McNulty calls \u201can ingenious and touching solo performance piece written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe on the subject of suicide \u2014 or more precisely, on the ordinary joys that militate against such a drastic step.\u201d <\/p>\n

McNulty also dropped in on the Geffen Playhouse to catch \u201cDragon Mama,\u201d<\/a> the second installment in a trilogy written and performed by Sara Porkalob about her Filipina American family. \u201cTo be frank, I wasn\u2019t sure I was up for a trilogy on Porkalob\u2019s family history. But after \u2018Dragon Mama,\u2019 I can hardly wait for \u2018Dragon Baby,\u2019 the third and final segment,\u201d McNulty writes.<\/p>\n

\"Pierre <\/p>\n

Pierre Adeli and Adam J. Jefferis in \u201cThe Adding Machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Bob Turton Photography)<\/p>\n

Finally, McNulty checks in with the Actors\u2019 Gang, which is running a production of Elmer Rice\u2019s 1923 expressionist satire, \u201cThe Adding Machine.\u201d<\/a> The story, about \u201can accountant drone aptly named Mr. Zero who, after losing his job to an adding machine, kills his boss and is sentenced to death,\u201d shares uncomfortable modern-day parallels with the threat to workers currently posed by AI, McNulty writes.<\/p>\n

Classical music critic Mark Swed got the scoop on the Los Angeles Philharmonic\u2019s new season<\/a> \u2014 its first without revered music director Gustavo Dudamel. \u201cFor the first time in 64 years, the L.A. Phil will be without a music director, and with no one in waiting in the wings. But you may barely notice. In little more than three months, Dudamel, although newly installed as music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, will be saying hello once again to his old band at Walt Disney Concert Hall for two weeks of Beethoven,\u201d Swed writes.<\/p>\n

\"Workers <\/p>\n

Workers install the Francis Bacon 1969 \u201cThree Studies of Lucian Freud\u201d oil painting in the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

I got to watch workers hang a $142.5-million Francis Bacon triptych on the walls of LACMA\u2019s new David Geffen Galleries<\/a>. The paintings were gifted to the museum by its late trustee, Elaine Wynn. LACMA\u2019s director, Michael Govan, said that part of her interest in supporting the new building was because she wanted the paintings to eventually belong to the public.<\/p>\n

Dance writer Steven Vargas penned an interesting profile of choreographer Jacob Jonas<\/a> and how his battle with Stage 4 lymphoma deepened his connection to his craft.<\/p>\n

The news from the Kennedy Center does not stop coming. Late last week, we learned that President Trump had replaced Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell,<\/a> who presided over the unfolding chaos at the center for a little over a year, with Matt Floca, the vice president of facilities operations at the center. This week, the Trump-appointed board voted to officially close the venue for two years. Trump had already announced his intentions, so the vote amounted to little more than a rubber stamp.<\/p>\n

Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n

Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts \u2014 better known as the Soraya \u2014 on the campus of Cal State Northridge.<\/p>\n

(The Soraya)<\/p>\n

The Soraya announced its 2026-27 season<\/a>, which includes six major debuts: singer and actress Audra McDonald, the Grammy Award-winning Snarky Puppy ensemble, Emmet Cohen\u2019s jazz trio, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the National Symphony Orchestra (which will be roving in the wake of the Kennedy Center closure) and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Also arriving at the Soraya, according to a note from its publicist, \u201cDomingo Hindoyan leads the LA Phil and soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the world premiere of a new, LA Phil-commissioned song cycle from Miguel Farias. Farias\u2019 incandescent new work is paired with Barber\u2019s \u2018Medea\u2019s Dance of Vengeance\u2019 and Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Ninth Symphony.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first-ever museum survey of the legendary Chicana artist Ofelia Esparza (\u201cOfelia Esparza: A Retropective<\/a> \u201c) at Vincent Price Art Museum has been extended through May \u2014 now you have no excuse to not get yourself out to see it.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jessica Gelt<\/p>\n

And last but not least<\/p>\n

In an incredibly detailed and truly impressive investigation, Reuters unmasked the legendary British street artist known as Banksy<\/a>. I have mixed feelings on that one, which I may explore in a future newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Public murals are among the best ways to honor our heroes, which is why dozens of murals of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228686,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[10242,10246,10247,10243,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,10244,10239,10241,1406,10245,10240,1860,3044,430,1968],"class_list":["post-228685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-design-columnist-carolina-a-miranda","tag-existential-questions","tag-group-show","tag-l-a-museum","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-matthew-lopez","tag-opera","tag-pauline","tag-performance","tag-private-jet","tag-schindler-house","tag-show","tag-story","tag-week","tag-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}