La Memoria de Nuestra Tierra – Denver International Airport (DIA)

In 1998, while in residency at Harvard University, SPARC’s Artistic Director, Judith F. Baca, along with her graduate students began the production of La Memoria de Nuestra Tierra for the Denver International Airport. The 10 foot by 50 foot mural tells the Hispano-Mexicano history of the Southwest with specific emphasis on the Colorado four-corners area of the United States and Northern Mexico. In particular the mural shows the migration of Mexicans through the Juarez-El Paso border region towards the north, a migration taken by Baca’s grandparents who settled in La Junta, Colorado. A landmark work in the history of Digital Murals, La Memoria de Nuestra Tierra combines a beautifully hand painted landscape with historic photographs in a seamless blend imprinted upon the holographic-like surface of a metallic coated substrate. The mural was completed in the UCLA-SPARC Digital/Mural Lab in 2000 and is currently on permanent display at the Denver International Airport.

Graffiti Murals

Since the early days of the Graffiti Art movement SPARC has recognized the validity of spray can murals as a legitimate artform and an extension of the mural movement. Throughout the years SPARC has supported the young artists who choose the aerosol can as their medium of choice and has struggled to defend the artistic expression of graffiti artists. The graffiti wall located at SPARC is one of the few legal walls in the city of Los Angeles where graffiti muralists can paint without fear of censorship. (Interested artists must first request permission from SPARC.)

Click here to view images of SPARC's graffiti wall and to articles about the battle against graffiti censorship.