(Editor’s note: This story first ran in the Pacific Palisades Historical Society newsletter and is reprinted with permission.)
Mural Colors co-founder Carlos Rogel discusses what needs to be done with the mural with original artists Kat Kozik and Cathy Salser (left).
By LIBBY MOTIKA – Pacific Palisades Historical Society Board Member
Forty years ago, Palisades High School senior Kat Kozik and David Strauch were driven by inspiration and fueled with creative energy to paint The History of Pacific Palisades. Their chosen pallet–the blank concrete wall along Temescal Canyon Road, directly across from the school.
This was not going to be the usual story of the Rancho period and the Methodist settlement, but rather the deep history of the land and the first inhabitants of the area, the indigenous Tongva and Chumash peoples.
Place played a major part in their inspiration. They often walked in the mornings before school in the hills of Temescal Canyon.
“It was an act of honoring and walking with different footprints,” Kat recently told the Palisades Historical Society.
The 18-year-olds were following in a long history of murals in Los Angeles, influenced by Mexican muralism dating back to the early 20th century. This pictorial and direct communication has always been a powerful way to express social, political and cultural narratives.
“Our teacher Mary Redclay talked about public art, and her support encouraged us to walk down this path,” Kozik said.
Indeed, Redclay’s enthusiasm propelled the students to move forward. They were later joined by fellow students Cathy Salser and Jennifer Wilsey, as they designed and worked on the wall – segment by segment – over seven summers from 1983 to 1990, well after they graduated from Pali.
This photo of the mural painters, Kat Kozik, David Stauch and Cathy Salser first appeared in 1985 in the Palisadian-Post.
The 600-ft. historical narrative focuses on the land, animals and first people, and hints at the arrival of development before shifting to a scene depicting the Milky Way, the cosmos and a trickster coyote leaping into the great beyond.
Kat’s parents were artists, and she says that painting the mural was the point when she became an artist. Sticking with the project despite her law school commitment, Kozik told the Palisadian-Post in 1987 that much of the mural is an attempt “to show the spirit of the area.”
She noted, “Mural painting is a special kind of art form in that the finished product cannot be assigned a monetary value, or sold, and thus, it belongs to everybody.”
With the passage of time, and exposure to the elements, portions of the mural needed restoration. The Temescal Canyon Association sponsored a team of artists in 2002 and 2008 (including Terri Bromberg, Shirley Colemanand Merry Scanlon) to work on the remediation.
Forty years later, much has changed in the world. Again, time has weathered the paint and water damage, sun and invasive plants have eroded parts of the concrete.
A new campaign to restore the mural is well underway, with robust fundraising and leadership by
Cathy Salser, who still lives in the Palisades, Kozik (now a Berkeley resident), and Cindy Simon, who represents the Temescal area on the Community Council.
Reflecting the community spirit of Pacific Palisades, Simon found Mural Colors through advice from her neighbor. The women-owned business specializes in restoration of murals, using environmentally sustainable techniques and supplies. Mural Colors will take on the
Temescal project, cleaning the mural, repairing peeling paint and areas of water permeation along fissures.
The techniques and supplies that the company uses are high-strength UV absorbers and an overcoat paint that protects against tagging or overpainting and creates a vibrant anti-glare finish.
The overall cost of the refurbishment is estimated at $105,000. Palisadians have risen to the challenge, with 201 donations totaling $101,203 raised as of November 11. A maintenance fund will be established with future donations.
The passage of time is significant in other ways as well. There is an increased awareness of the effects of climate change, and rediscovered awareness and respect for the land and the wisdom of the indigenous tribes who settled the area.
“The world has changed since 1984, but the Tongva have always been there in the hills,” Kozik said.
Understanding that, the artists will invite representatives from the Tongva and Chumash first people to advise them on the depiction of their lifeways and values.
The artists hope that the completion of the restoration will be the beginning of a new chapter for the mural.
“This will be an opportunity for dialogue,” Salser said. “We intend to bring new voices onto the wall.” She plans a portal where people can write their impressions, feelings, whatever the scene evokes.
This will also be a creative addition to school curricula for both elementary and high school students, she added.
“It’s about all of us,” Kozik added. “Certainly, the indigenous presence is an important part, but this is also about people and the land, about all of us.”
Cathy Salser at the beginning of the fund raising efforts for Temescal Mural across from Palisades High School Stadium.
(To make a tax-deductible donation, visit: awbw. org/temescal. Or send a check payable to: AWBW,
Memo line: TCMP, and mail to: TCMP, 15332 Antioch St., # 302, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.)
(To learn more about the town’s history or to join the Pacific Palisades Historical Society, visit: https://www.pacificpalisadeshistory.org/)