“The WORD,” or the Jesus Mural, as it is more commonly known, was a Biola art class project that began in 1989 under the direction of LA muralist Kent Twitchell and was finished in the summer of 1990. Kent Twitchell has been an artist and street muralist since the late 60s. He painted his first signed murals in 1971, Steve McQueen Monument in Downtown LA and Strother Martin Monument in Hollywood. Kent has painted The Hollywood Freeway Lady, The Bride & Groom monuments to visual artists Ed Ruscha, Lita Albuquerque, Jim Morphesis, Gary Lloyd and others. He painted the original LA Marathon Mural in Inglewood, the LA Chamber Orchestra in Downtown LA, monuments to Six LA Artists in Torrance, the Dr. J Monument in Philadelphia and 2 Monuments to Will Rogers on the east and west sides of the historic California Theatre in San Bernardino, among other murals. He is the recipient of an NEA "Art in Public Places" grant, 2 Honorary Doctorates and numerous other awards during his career. His paintings appear in art textbooks, magazines, Hollywood films and documentaries and hundreds of newspaper articles. He is in the permanent collections of the LA County Museum of Art, the Chicago Art Institute, the Boise Art Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Vincent Prince Art Museum, the Long Beach Museum of Art and many private collections.

The Jesus Mural has not been without controversy through the years. Kent Twitchell’s soaring, 40-foot painted Jesus offended some students as being too “white” and oppressive. After much prayer in 2010, President Corey resisted pastor Tony Compolo’s suggestion to “go tear it down,” deciding to restore it instead. He also conceived of a conversation between Biola and the greater community to help heal the rifts, by focusing attention on “the many positive contributions the arts provide.”

For more: http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2010/apr/15/jesus-mural-sofar/

These three video detail the process of restoration of the Jesus Mural restoration. 
Art conservation was done by original artist Kent Twitchell and Scott Haskins, an art conservator.

 Biola Jesus Mural Art Conservation - Kent Twitchell Restoration Phase 1 - Evaluation

Biola Jesus Mural Art Conservation - Kent Twitchell Restoration Phase 2 - Consolidation

Biola Jesus Mural Art Conservation - Kent Twitchell Restoration Phase 3 - Final