Outer Space

In 2011, The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA), was awarded a small grant by he Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). MCLA used this grant towards the 2012 restoration and preservation of 1977 “Outer Space” by Richard Haro, located in the historic Estrada Courts in Boyle Heights. The original muralist, Richard Haro was commissioned to play an active role in the restoration. Mr. Haro was assisted by young people at Estrada Courts and by apprentices Ian Robertson-Salt and Erté deGarces.
Created in 1977, alongside neighborhood youth, this mural embodies the spirit of community driven public art-making a critical impact in bringing this iconic mural back to it's original glory at Estrada Courts, an Epicenter of the Chicano Art Movement.
Home to thousands of families since it was built in 1942-43, Estrada Courts became an epicenter for the intersection of art and social change as the momentum of the Civil Rights Movement grew across the United States and massive visual monuments galvanized the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles. From 1973, over 80 murals were completed in Estrada Courts by notable artists, activists, and community residents, all of which conveyed aspects of socio-political history, culture, and the environment. Photo © Isabel Rojas-Williams