NBC 7’s Jeanette Quesada spoke with the artist about the inspiration and MTS rider reaction.
On Wednesday, the MTS unveiled two new murals in East County aimed at improving your riding experience.
The artworks are intended to bring joy to riders while they wait or de-train the trolley, but they’re also painting a new outlook for the city of La Mesa, which experienced civil unrest four years ago.
“I was riding the Trolley, and I got off, and I was like, 'Oh, look at this wall,' and I took some photographs, and I was like, 'This is a project we need to do,' ” Maxx Moses said.
Moses is among the 4,000 riders on the Orange Line every day. He’s also the artist behind two new murals at the Grossmont stop.
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“You have these huge shapes which could be quite mesmerizing, but the fish is still absolutely calm and at peace,” Moses said, referring to one of the mural's features.
Inspired by the blank canvas, Moses approved MTS with his idea.
“I think what we were looking for was joy, serenity, peacefulness, aspects of life that, really, since the pandemic, everybody is looking for,” said MTS CEO Sharon Cooney.
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That is exactly what the murals are evoking among riders.
“Oh, it just brightens your day,” said Trolley rider Alexander Kornel. "I love art."
The murals are bringing joy and peace to the same trolley stop where Aumarie Johnson’s arrest by a former La Mesa police officer triggered days of protests in 2020.
Johnson’s violent arrest by La Mesa police happened just two days after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“The struggles that take place in life, the conflicts that take place in life, they’re all necessary to encourage us to grow, you know?" Moses said. "So I feel that these expressions that you see on the wall behind me are just this evidence of that growth."
Moses hopes his artwork reframes how San Diegans see the future and the possibilities it holds.
“Through painting, it’s like: After you’ve painted a number of times — like in the middle of the painting — it looks horrible, but you realize, you know, 'I’ve done this before, I’ve been in this space before, it will be a masterpiece,' ” Moses said.
Johnson sued the city and former police officer over his arrest. The charges against Johnson were dropped, the officer was fired, and he reached a settlement with the city of La Mesa.
