Local Man Heading for Belfast Art Project

A Venice man is traveling to Belfast Friday to paint a mural celebrating the Ireland’s long-awaited peace pact in conjunction with Catholic and Protestant artists.

Francisco Letelier, a 39-year-old native Chilean, will participate in the project under the auspices of the 18th Street Arts Complex’s international artist-in-residence exchange program.

The nonprofit art center’s co-director, Clayton Campbell, said the mural idea was inspired by a trip he took to Belfast two years ago, when the country was torn by violence.

“Now there’s a reconciliation taking place, so it’s a very timely moment,” he said.

Letelier’s six-week trip is being paid for by singers Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, as well as actor Michael O’Keefe, he said.

Letelier has done several public arts projects in Los Angeles, including the mural “Celebrating Diversity” in Canoga Park and the sun and moon murals in the Red Line Metro Rail station in McArthur Park.

He said he has spent the last several months researching Ireland’s history and talking to community groups in Belfast to get ideas for images he will use.

“What we’ve tried to do is collect personal testimonies of people,” said Letelier. “Belfast is known for its murals, but they’re all very partisan.”