Monday, May 6

‘The Black Experience’ mural: past, present, future?


Three years ago, a Daily Bruin article highlighted the existence of a mural obstructed by a false wall in Ackerman Student Union. The mural, titled “The Black Experience,” was painted in 1970 and depicts the seven UCLA art students who painted it as well as scenes from African-American history. The mural was covered by a false wall in 1992 but remains intact to this day. Now, the Afrikan Student Union is pushing for the exposure of the mural.

On Feb. 26, segments of the false wall were removed to partially display the mural. Discussions of removing the false wall entirely have recently accelerated. This post includes photographs of the mural from the past and present as well as a photo illustration simulating what the area would look like if the mural were revealed.

Please refer to Daily Bruin stories from 2013 and 2010 for background information about the mural.

Clarification: The original version of this post contained information that was unclear. Three years ago, a Daily Bruin article highlighted the existence of a mural obstructed by a false wall in Ackerman Student Union.

Ryan Menezes

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