José Antonio Aguirre's monumental mural Our Legacy: Forever Presente... was commissioned by First District County Supervisor Molina for the recently completed new East Los Angeles Library. Aguirre's vibrant and bold four-cycle mural covers more than 2,000 square feet of wall space with Byzantine and Venetian glass mosaic with carved limestone on interior, as well exterior, of the West and East towers of the library's main entrance.

The mural is articulated in four movements: "The Gift to Humanity"; "Arrival"; "The Heart of the People"; and "Departure." Throughout each cycle, iconic images representing significant East Los Angeles public leaders, social and political figures, actors, artists, and athletes are depicted. These depictions include Edward James Olmos, Congressman Esteban Torres, Congressman Edward Roybal, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Ruben Salazar, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Self-Help Graphics Founder Sister Karen Boccalero, Anthony Quinn, Antonia Hernandez, Supervisor Gloria Molina, and Oscar De La Hoya.

The artist observes, "I have created a visual image filled with symbolic elements of duality, history and social consciousness to provoke, question, offer definition and provide recognition of the rich, bi-cultural identity that binds the East Los Angeles community."

About the Artist: Bi-national artist Jose Antonio Aguirre earned an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a studio artist, he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. As a public artist, he has executed nearly 30 works in California, Illinois, Texas and Mexico City. Throughout his art career, he has been active as an installation artist, visual arts educator and cultural journalist for Spanish publications in Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas and Mexico.

Photo Credit: © Scott Lindgren