Luther Burbank Middle School Mural
completed September 2001
Funded through a City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Matching
Fund grant, the Figueroa Street Mural at Luther Burbank Middle School is a
project of the campus parents’ group, PADREES In Action. Along with
planting a new garden at the school’s entrance, the group enlisted various
community volunteers and students to complete the task of creating the ambitious
mural that covers a wall and two stairwells on the Figueroa Street façade.
Designed and executed by local muralists Andy Ledesma and Danny Ruiz, the mural
commemorates the long history of humanity’s relationship to the earth,
spanning indigenous American civilizations, the school’s namesake,
horticulturist Luther Burbank, and the activist legacy of Cesar Chavez. Indeed,
the new Cesar Chavez state holiday on March 31st provided an opportunity to
engage students in the planting of the garden and assisting in the mural design
and execution.
Funded by a grant from the Corporation for National Service, the Northeast L.A.
Cesar Chavez Day of Service & Learning Projects provided additional
financial support. Hathaway Family Resource Center provided grant administration
and project management.