Missing sidewalks, rowdy street parties, a tragedy of unmatched proportion — as omnipresent as I.V.’s struggles are, the troubles that often define the town also facilitate a motley yet increasingly organized art scene.
Throughout its unabashedly nonconformist history, visual art has plastered the surfaces and permeated the crevices of Isla Vista. Indie coffee shops and eateries sport murals portraying everything from the 1970 Bank of America burning to beach-goers with sunflower heads; residents’ homes feature depictions of mermaids and foes of apartheid; parks bear sculptural memorials to the victims of the May 2014 tragedy.
Cajé’s bank-burning façade and Perfect Park’s memorials testify to the creative expression that springs from I.V.’s turbulent troubles. And while many of the works of art are the product of one or a few individuals, the art scene here is trending toward collaboration.