Six years ago in the “before times” as it were, when the pandemic shattered everything, I took a wide-ranging tour of the Los Angeles Arts District from a tour company that is now sadly defunct.
During this trip I wanted to go a little more in depth on the street art aspect of the Arts District and booked a tour with LA Arts Tours. The guide for our group was local street artist ShanduOne, (aka Hector Calderon) who started out in the graffiti scene as a kid with a group called the LA Bomb Squad. His style has a unique geometric, almost stained glass look to it.
According to Hector the street art scene in LA has its roots in the cholo street gang culture. By the time he became involved it had taken cues from the New York City graffiti movement and with that an identity separate from gang culture.
One of the biggest changes over the years he pointed out is how street artists aren’t as anonymous as they once were, often signing their work with their Instagram usernames even when it’s technically vandalism. But with that clout some of the artists have been able to find steady commissioned work, even international fame in some cases (think Banksy, Colette Miller, Shepard Fairey etc.)
Another change he pointed out is in the medium itself: spray paint. It used to be only available in a very limited selection of 30 or so colors as it was manufactured for utilitarian purposes. As street art emerged as a legitimate art form you can now easily find hundreds of colors.
My recommendation: This tour is far more detailed than your typical street art tour, and as such it involves quite a bit of walking. I’d recommend bringing a bottle of water on a hot day though be warned there are no bathroom stops. Parts of the area covered are on the seedier end of the spectrum so watch where you step. If you take this tour I’d encourage you to look into booking it with Hector if you can; he has the kind of personal insight you can’t get from a typical tour guide.
