Religion makes a public art appearance in Encinitas

A group posing as maintenance workers recently installed an interesting mural under a bridge in Encinitas.  Made to resemble stained glass, it depicts Mary, in the pose of Our Lady of Guadalupe, riding a surfboard in an impressive wave.  The fate of the mural is undecided for now since the anonymous group did not go through city or county channels, and it is therefore basically graffiti.

Religion, along with its stories and figures, is eminently valid material for art.  And unlike the Mount Soledad Easter Cross, this mural is clearly an artistic work rather than a call for public recognition of a religion.