Call to Artists
Saint Francis Xavier Church Mural
723 East Second Street
The Arts District Los Angeles (ADLA) is seeking proposals for a new horizontal mural on the Second Street wall of the Saint Francis Xavier Church (SFXC)
This is an opportunity for Los Angeles artists to express their finest ideas
MURAL PARAMETERS
ADLA is working closely with the SFXC’s Parish Council to curate a mural that best represents the history of the church, identifies the church as an active community center/place of worship, and highlights SFXC as a cultural institution in Little Tokyo. Mural concepts will be evaluated on how well they incorporate the following:The history of the churchThe Japanese-American experience in Los AngelesSFXC's role as a spiritual center
Artists can propose to use as much or as little of the designated wall space as they’d like. The wall is north-facing on the southern side of Second Street.
(The Church facade facing Third Street)
DIMENSIONS
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Artist shall conceptualize and paint a mural on SFXC Church.The Artist shall supply all tools and equipment required to perform the work;The Artist shall provide the work in a manner satisfactory and acceptable to ADLA;The Artist must be available and willing to work with ADLA through the City’s mural application process;ADLA will provide all paint;ADLA will assist in priming the wall;ADLA will assist in navigating the City’s mural ordinance; &ADLA will award the winning artist an amount commensurate to the mural design and the artist's experience.
APPLICATION DIRECTIONS
If you are an artist with experience creating art in the public space, and interested in being considered for this project, please follow the below instructions (PLEASE NOTE, this opportunity is only available to invited artists, AT THIS TIME):Prepare a general concept for the SFXC wall;Your mural proposal can be a simple concept sketch or can be very elaborate;If possible, impose the design on an image of the wall;Use the below “Fill In Form” to submit your name, number, email address and other required info;Upload your proposed design as a PNG. Be sure to title the PNG with your first and last name;Submit a link or social media handle of your portfolio; &Submit an estimated total cost for the mural, including your labor ;
A committee of community members will evaluate all mural proposals.
Second Street (North-facing wall)
West-facing wall
North-facing wall
North-facing wall
Close-up of brick
East-facing wall
Second-street (North and east-facing wall)
The Saint Francis Xavier Japanese Catholic Center (SFXJCC), located in the Little Tokyo/Arts District neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, was founded in 1914. Throughout its existence, the SFXJCC has served as a place of worship, a school, a community center, a cultural institution, and even a gathering site during the Japanese internment. The SFXJCC was built and shaped by the families, sports teams, clubs, priests, sisters and friends who used and still use the center. The story of the Saint Francis Xavier Japanese Catholic Center or Maryknoll, as many people refer to it, is the story of the Japanese American experience in Los Angeles.
In 1911 a Japanese immigrant living in Los Angeles wrote to his bishop back in Japan, asking permission to confess his sins via mail because there were no Catholic priests who spoke Japanese in Los Angeles. The Catholic bishop replied that he would send a Japanese-speaking priest to attend to all of the needs of the Japanese Catholics in Los Angeles. In 1912 Father Breton arrived and held the first Japanese homily on Christmas day, at a site next to present-day Boomtown Brewery. By 1938 the church and school had been built, rebuilt, relocated, expanded, and modernized several times. This was all done through funds raised by the parishioners. At its new and current location at 222 S. Hewitt Street, SFXJCC was home to a Boy Scout Troop, a Women’s Club, and offered K-9 education; it was a thriving community center.
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of all persons of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. Father Lavery and others continued their commitment to their parish and brought Catholic services to the Japanese-Americans held in internment camps. In 1946 the Army revoked the Japanese exclusion order and the one hundred thirty thousand Japanese-Americans held in camps returned home. Pastor Father Lavery found jobs for returning parishioners and subsidized student tuitions at Catholic high schools for their children. In 1949 classes resumed and by 1965 the school was expanded again to accommodate the now over 400-person student body. In 1963, Mr. Tsutomu Ohshima was hired as the Japanese language teacher at Maryknoll. Mr. Ohshima went on to establish the first and only elementary school karate group in America. The Maryknoll Karate Club celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023.
The Maryknoll school closed in 1995 after eighty-two years. The Maryknoll School community then became Maryknoll Japanese Catholic Center. In 2007 Father Mitsudome changed the community’s name back to the St. Francis Xavier Chapel, the original name of the parish in 1912. In 2012 the parish celebrated its 100th anniversary. SFXCJCC is currently home to dozens of community groups such as the Maryknoll Karate Club, Shotokan Karate of America, Cold Tofu (an improvisational group), Kendo, and a Napa artist. The SFXCJCC continues to provide vital contributions to the community through its events like Saint Patrick’s day dinner, bingo events and dances.