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Surfing Madonna

Encinitas, United States of America

Surfing Madonna

The Surfing Madonna is a 10 by 10 feet (3.0 m × 3.0 m) mosaic of the Virgen de Guadalupe created by artist Mark Patterson. It was covertly installed in Encinitas, California by Patterson and his friend Bob Nichols, who posed as construction workers during the installation. The city declared that the

artwork was to be considered graffiti because of the illegality of its installation. Patterson came forward to accept responsibility for it, and was fined $500 and ordered to pay approximately $6,000 for the art's removal. It was removed in 90 minutes, and Patterson was allowed to keep the art. The response to the installation was divided: while some members of the Catholic and Latino communities took issue with it, others felt that it symbolized their Mexican heritage. The art is now in place across the street from where it was originally installed. It inspired a 501c3 non profit founded by Mark Patterson and Bob Nichols called "Surfing Madonna Oceans Project". Since the inception of the non-profit in 2013 the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project has donated nearly $600,000 to local ocean/beach/park and humanitarian programs.

Listen to the audio guide for Surfing Madonna Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off

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