New mural in La Jolla takes a stance on benefits of public art

In some cases, the messages behind the murals placed around town as part of the Murals of La Jolla program take some investigation or contemplation. In other cases, such as Michael Mercil’s piece that was completed Oct. 26, the message is front and center.

Dubbed “Art is Good for You,” the mural is about a half-block long and consists of orange and red capital letters that spell out the title phrase horizontally across a blue background. It’s at the Chase Bank building at 7777 Girard Ave. facing Silverado Street and is intended to remain for the next few years. A concept for a new mixed-use building at that site is being proposed by the group of local investors that owns the property.

“I believe art is necessary for all of us,” Mercil said. “It should be a part of all of our lives and available to everyone.”

Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Lynda Forsha agrees.

“This mural’s eye-catching design and spirited message are likely to catch the attention of passersby, sparking conversations and interactions among viewers,” Forsha said. “Hopefully, it will be a focal point for community members and visitors to discuss art and its significance in their lives and in the community. Whether making art or appreciating art made by others, I do believe that art can be good for you, and in countless ways.”

Artist Michael Mercil created the latest Murals of La Jolla project,

Artist Michael Mercil created the latest Murals of La Jolla project, “Art is Good for You.”

(Provided by Michael Mercil)

Mercil’s interest in conveying that message started 10 years ago when he was a professor in the art department at Ohio State University — with, of all things, a piece of trash.

“I found a box of hard candies on the street, and when I opened it, the words ‘Candy is good for you, eat some every day’ were printed on the flap,” he said. “I realize that is every child’s dream and every parent’s nightmare. These were Atomic Fireballs, a spicy, hard, cinnamon candy that I cannot believe they still make. So it got me thinking a lot. … The box and the stamp intrigued me.”

Mercil decided to make a similar message and create a series of postcards for his students that read “Art is good for you, make some every day.” The other side read “Art is good for you, buy some every day” to provide messaging for the possible owners of the students’ work.

Five years later, he moved his studio in Ohio — where he still lives — out of a large building and into a smaller space nearby that was facing the street.

“I decided I wanted to engage the neighborhood more directly, so I painted that phrase [‘Art is good for you’] onto the side of my building on a much smaller scale than what is in La Jolla,” he said.

“I believe art is necessary for all of us. It should be a part of all of our lives and available to everyone.”

— Artist Michael Mercil

Having had an interest in public art for decades, the effort seemed like a natural progression of his message.

“I was educated in an art school in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, when public art was a relatively new movement, and one my teachers … pushed the dialogue and the questions about what public art is and what public art should be,” Mercil said. “There was a lot of controversy in the early days of public art. … But the impulse is that public art is democratic and anti-elitist. The viewer gets to decide what belongs to them as part of the landscape of their imagination. We all have an imagination, and it becomes a question of whether we access that. Public art encourages people to open their eyes. That is the mission of all art. And the public arena is very different from a gallery or private home.”

The mural

The mural “Art is Good for You” is about a half-block long at the Chase Bank building at 7777 Girard Ave., facing Silverado Street.

(Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Mercil said being able to commission his piece for La Jolla felt like “a fantastic stroke of luck.”

The Village is “where the piece belongs,” he said.

The Murals of La Jolla program was created in 2010 by the La Jolla Community Foundation and subsequently relinquished to the oversight of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There currently are 17 murals in place around town, funded solely by private donations and installed and removed on a rotation. For more information, visit muralsoflajolla.com. ◆

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