In the fray of studying students and hungry patrons in the student center lies a mural, depicting what is supposed to be an inspiring and uplifting scene of Mt. SAC students succeeding and beautiful scenery. However, this painting looks like ChatGPT was told to generate a mural representing Mt. SAC. It is soulless, corporate and devoid of any emotion.
The piece, titled by the artist as “You Can Grow From Here,” was originally painted as a canvas for Mt. SAC by muralist Shea Monahan @sheamonahanart. It was then expanded into a full mural for the student center.
“I was not given direction from Mt. SAC to create the mural in a certain way, but I was given a survey from students from the college along with certain ideas the college wanted the mural to represent, and then I based the mural on the ideas along with my research on the area and college,” Monahan said.
Credit where credit is due, the presentation of the piece is technically sound. In person, the wall has a dip in order to create a 3D effect around the people in the image. It gives a nice emphasis when looked at straight on. The mural is clear, bright and depicts the stated objective well.
But there are a couple of signs that the image could possibly be AI generated. For one, some textures look weirdly washed out or unnatural, such as the textbook binders or the woman in a doctor’s uniform in the middle. Additionally, the random “PAH!” on the shirt of the person in the background is random and meaningless, suggesting it was pulled from a random reference.
Raymundo T. Reynoso, another artist whose work is displayed at Mt. SAC, shared that this type of work is possible without the use of generative technology.
“I can’t for certain say it’s made by using AI,” Reynoso said. “In the past, I’ve presented mural concepts using quick digital tools to convey an idea, but I’ve never used AI to compose a project of this nature.”
Reynoso commented as well that artwork of this style can be produced without AI.
“I have friends who can paint and create similar work without using AI, so I know it’s possible,” Reynoso continued.
There’s no conclusive way to prove this image was AI generated, just mere speculation. But on an artistic basis the mural is an empty husk of what could’ve been.
It feels like a missed opportunity as the greater county of Los Angeles has such intricate mural artworks and many artists that could’ve done a much better job capturing the heart and soul of Mt. SAC and the community.
For example, the Great Wall of Los Angeles Mural involved the work of at least 40 separate artists on one long mural connecting to the LACMA and depicts the history of Los Angeles and the diverse cultures within the city. Other murals include the Echo Park mural by Theresa Powers or the “Undiscovered America” mural by Earth Crew 2000.
It’s not just street murals that represent a lack of care put into Mt. SAC’s mural. Many other campuses in California have murals that are soulful, coherent and represent their school brilliantly.
One such mural is the Campus Legacy Mural at CSU Channel Islands, which represents the surrounding culture of the Channel Islands while still keeping a slant towards educational and learning themes. It also looks a lot less like AI.
Mt. SAC is capable of commissioning well-fitting artists for other works around campus. The Diana Berger Art Gallery housed many great works, some directed by students at Mt. SAC nonetheless. Other exhibitions showcased amazing artworks that represent the surrounding community well, such as works from Luisa Estrada or Reynoso.
So the main question I have is: Why?
Why commission an artist who mainly does paintings depicting Greek mythology? Why this artist specifically who has no ties to Mt. SAC nor the LA area, who also lives in Florida? Why not support local artists and muralists who historically in the LA area have represented community and culture perfectly?
It feels like Mt. SAC made a decision. Mt. SAC chose to have a purposeful cookie-cutter mural, one that will appease the most people while being interesting to none.
It lacks the soul and community defining characteristics of LA county murals that have been staples of culture for many years.
