Murals aren’t hard to find in San Pedro, as the art form has increased in popularity over the past couple of decades.
But the newest artistic display — “La Pincoya en El Norte” — is drawing more than the usual accolades. The mural is on the side of a building in the town’s historic waterfront.
Much of the buzz stems from a three-minute video that was released after the unveiling and now making the rounds throughout the town.
The mural depicts the history of the shipping and fishing industry in San Pedro, including the iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge. The central figure, though, is “La Pincoya,” a mythological sea creature from the south of Chile known for her beauty and for bringing full nets to fishermen. The 72-foot-wide by 15-foot-tall artwork by Revival Murals was chosen by the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, with initial funding coming from the Community Investment Grant Program at the Port of Los Angeles, which also produced the video.
The artistic team of Alonso Guevara and James Razko created the design for the mural, which is on the east side of a building that serves the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, a program that offers tall-masted ship sails to young people throughout the Los Angeles region.
“There are tens of thousands of high school students who have never seen the water,” L.A. harbor commission Vice President Diane Middleton said at the mural’s unveiling earlier this month.
Youngsters spend anywhere from “two hours to two days to two weeks” on the historic replica ships, said Bruce Heyman, who heads up the LAMI TopSail program.
The experience, Heyman said in the video, focuses on middle and high school students, teaching them “about themselves” and building their confidence. The tall ships, he said, are “walking, talking STEM machines,” with real-life lessons in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Funding for the mural came from the Port of Los Angeles Community Grant Program, L.A. County Creative Recovery Program and many private donations.
The Port of Los Angeles, along with the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, the Los Angeles Maritime Institute and the West Harbor development all had a hand in the overall funding and artist selection process.
In all, 60 locals helped paint the mural, which was unveiled on Dec. 9.
The mural is on the side of the Building G warehouse at Berth 73, facing the ocean and adjacent to the Southern Pacific Slip in San Pedro. The building houses students who take part in projects and studies for the LAMI program, including learning how to create blueprints, build things that work, and solve problems using mathematics, engineering and other skills, Heyman said.
Linda Grimes, executive director of the San Pedro Arts District, said a list was made of the elements the group wanted to include in the mural, such as the Vincent Thomas Bridge, the fishing industry and the tall ships. Stacked containers — representing what is the port’s primary business — also are part of the artistic creation.
“The whole history of San Pedro is rolled up” in this mural, harbor Commissioner Lee Williams said in the video.