Memorandum

To:

Moushumi Biswas

From: Crystal Nicole Avila Date: 3/4/2013 Re: Outsourcing for Artistic Talent

"Sometimes things could be right under your nose, the only problem is your eyes are above it"- Unknown As the city of El Paso, Texas grows, citizens are requesting for public art that conveys the city's culture in order to revamp the heart of downtown. The city has allocated city funds to pay for art installations throughout the city, but there is a major controversy on which artists the city council selects to produce these artworks. The city council is outsourcing to other cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles for artistic talent to produce local art. Therefore many local citizens and artists believe that the city should hire local artists that will accurately depict the customs and traditions of El Paso into their artwork. One local art team that is determined to show case their artistic talent for the city of El Paso is a graffiti group called "Expresin." "Expresin" is a local art group that focuses mainly on creating graffiti murals throughout El Paso. The group's primary mediums are acrylic and spray paints and the team consists of four males whose major influences are graffiti artists Herakut, Bansky, King Robbo, Blu, and Retna. The leader and creator of the team is Miguel Arellano, he states that " The city of El Paso, has so many amazing artists that know how it feels to be born and raised in the city. They (local artists) live and breathe the culture of El Paso every day." When I asked about his feelings towards the issue of El Paso city council outsourcing for artists he stated " El Paso is headed toward great change. Every El Pasoan wants outsiders to see the raw talent that the city contains, but how can El Paso artists receive the attention they deserve if their own city fails to notice them ." Another question I asked him was how did outsourcing for artistic talent affecting local citizens. Miguel answered the question by replying "Last year El Paso City Council hired two Seattle-based artists named Tom Drugan and Laura Haddad. The task of the artists was to design sculptures and metal screens for transit stations along Alameda Avenue. The concepts for the designs did not reflect the culture of the area because there hardly any public input. In the end, the tax payer's money was wasted on the project because the artists' contracts were terminated."

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The final question I asked Miguel was what would he say to every El Paso citizen and government official. Miguel replied with " Support your El Paso artists." In conclusion, local artists like the group "Expresin" strongly believe that the city council should hire local artists to create local artworks. Currently, Miguel Arellano and his team are speaking with city government officials to create a mural for the city, and are recruiting local artists to join their team. The mural that "Expresin" would like create for El Paso will embody the strong Mexican culture of the city.

CONFIDENTIAL

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The photo above portrays the tools "Expresin" uses to create art. This workspace contains Miguel's sketchbook, which he carries around with in order to sketch anything that inspires him. The brand of spray cans, that the group uses, is a mixture between Liquitex or Ironlak. Also, the group uses cardboard boxes to practice their spray painting techniques.

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The photo below is a sketch made by a member of Expresin, Ricardo Sanchez. Sanchez is working on a sketch for a local band called Revati. Ricardo drew inspiration from the band's name which has Hindu origins. Therefore, the drawing portrays mehndi designs and the Hindu goddess Saraswati who she is the goddess of music, science, knowledge and arts. Ricardo is currently working with other local bands by creating album artwork for them. The artistic style that separates Sanchez from the rest of the group, is his love for the female face golden ratio. By utilizing mathematics, Sanchez hopes to create an artwork that will display the perfect female face and become the next Mona Lisa.

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This photo displays the talent of 18 year old James Luna who is also a member of "Expresin." James is new to the graffiti art scene, but hopes that his skill using spray paint will improve. The medium Luna prefers to work with is acrylic paint. Luna's artistic style consists of surrealistic and macabre artworks. He hopes to one day have his artwork displayed in El Paso Downtown alleyways.

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This photo shows a color pencil drawing Miguel is currently working on. After the drawing is complete, Miguel will use stencils to spray paint the drawing onto a local venue that will commission him for it. Miguel says he has no preferred medium or artistic style, he mostly likes to instill powerful or philosophical messages into his artworks.