Mural idea is fine, but other artists should be considered

Regarding the proposal to have Wyland paint a mural on the Ventura Freeway, a number of questions must be raised. Such as:

Do “whales” mean “Wyland”?

Should a mural automatically mean a whale mural?

Should public space be ornamented with the use of public funds without a competitive process and opportunity for public comment?

There is no doubt that Wyland’s murals have cultivated awareness of the plight and beauty of marine mammals. They have also given him fame. Through clever marketing he has managed to inflate his reputation to such a point that Bill Clawson immediately thought of Wyland when he thought of whales.

But we could ask, are Wyland’s whales accurate? Are they art? Aren’t there, in fact, other artists out there who compete with Wyland? (Don McMichael of Oregon and Richard Ellis of New York are only two of many artists capable of a project such as this.)

In the case of Ventura, Wyland would receive not only increased publicity (as he does with each of his large-scale works) but a healthy fee as well.

Meanwhile, other exceptionally talented artists would not even be considered.

Other worthy thematic motifs, relating to the extraordinary views of the landward side of Ventura, would also be left out.

The idea of a Ventura mural is one that deserves further development. Instead of just another Wyland mural, let’s take those hard-earned dollars and create a scene that is not just like all the others.