Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Mural at Wang’s North Park to be removed by Target

“WEENosaurus Rex” artist not happy

WEENosaurus Rex. Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input."
WEENosaurus Rex. Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input."

When Wang’s North Park opened at University Avenue and Ray Street, the restaurant owners got unusual art on their west wall that brought attention. Artist MADSTEEZ, real name Mark Paul Deren, painted his “WEENosaurus Rex” mural on the building. After Wang’s went out of business, the mural remained and it hasn’t been vandalized.

Mark Paul Deren: "It’s my favorite mural."

Target is remodeling the building prior to moving in, and the company has plans for new art on that wall. According to Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street, that process has begun.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Landsberg explained: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input. Because this is a privately owned building, there is no need to go out for public review as long as the artwork complies with city regulations for murals on private space. As far as Target’s plans for a new mural, I know that they are planning a full public RFP, and have reached out to [North Park groups] and local artists for input on the process…much more than what was done for the existing mural.”

Deren says that he’s not happy, and stated so on his Instagram site. He wrote: “SADDDD to say that @target is going to paint over WEENosaurus Rex not only because it’s my favorite mural but because I watched the entire North Park San Diego community blossom colorfully over the years, and I’m proud to have been a part of that transformation.”

Commenter onelovegraphics wrote: “so messed up and so sad to see the Weenasaurus Rex go. Why would you cover this great work of art and symbol of the neighborhood @target?” And mas_mundo said: “Literally my favorite mural in all of the city.” Other comments were stronger. For example, davidscaffidi posted: “Lame!!! Fuck target.”

Landsberg responded: “It’s unfortunate that the comments on Instagram have gotten so nasty. North Park Main Street supports the process that Target is proposing for the new art. Our hope is that this time the art will better reflect the input of the community, and we appreciate Target’s efforts on this front.”

Target communications person Jacque DeBuse responded: “This is in line with how we often commission a local artist to create artwork in or on our stores as we open new locations across the country, and similarly partner closely with local leaders to ensure our buildings fit in with the fabric of the community.”

Deren explained how he came to create the mural. “It was actually for a cover story for Pacific San Diego Magazine (April 2012),” Deren said. “They wanted to feature me on the cover, so I said ‘find me a wall and let’s do a brand new mural for it.’ Wang’s was one of their advertisers, and they connected the dots.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
WEENosaurus Rex. Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input."
WEENosaurus Rex. Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input."

When Wang’s North Park opened at University Avenue and Ray Street, the restaurant owners got unusual art on their west wall that brought attention. Artist MADSTEEZ, real name Mark Paul Deren, painted his “WEENosaurus Rex” mural on the building. After Wang’s went out of business, the mural remained and it hasn’t been vandalized.

Mark Paul Deren: "It’s my favorite mural."

Target is remodeling the building prior to moving in, and the company has plans for new art on that wall. According to Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street, that process has begun.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Landsberg explained: “The mural that currently exists on the wall of the future Target store was installed without ANY community input. Because this is a privately owned building, there is no need to go out for public review as long as the artwork complies with city regulations for murals on private space. As far as Target’s plans for a new mural, I know that they are planning a full public RFP, and have reached out to [North Park groups] and local artists for input on the process…much more than what was done for the existing mural.”

Deren says that he’s not happy, and stated so on his Instagram site. He wrote: “SADDDD to say that @target is going to paint over WEENosaurus Rex not only because it’s my favorite mural but because I watched the entire North Park San Diego community blossom colorfully over the years, and I’m proud to have been a part of that transformation.”

Commenter onelovegraphics wrote: “so messed up and so sad to see the Weenasaurus Rex go. Why would you cover this great work of art and symbol of the neighborhood @target?” And mas_mundo said: “Literally my favorite mural in all of the city.” Other comments were stronger. For example, davidscaffidi posted: “Lame!!! Fuck target.”

Landsberg responded: “It’s unfortunate that the comments on Instagram have gotten so nasty. North Park Main Street supports the process that Target is proposing for the new art. Our hope is that this time the art will better reflect the input of the community, and we appreciate Target’s efforts on this front.”

Target communications person Jacque DeBuse responded: “This is in line with how we often commission a local artist to create artwork in or on our stores as we open new locations across the country, and similarly partner closely with local leaders to ensure our buildings fit in with the fabric of the community.”

Deren explained how he came to create the mural. “It was actually for a cover story for Pacific San Diego Magazine (April 2012),” Deren said. “They wanted to feature me on the cover, so I said ‘find me a wall and let’s do a brand new mural for it.’ Wang’s was one of their advertisers, and they connected the dots.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Big bugs early in the season – Wahoo bonanza off Mag Bay

Bluefin at the Coronados
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader