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Location: 2121 Guadalupe at Chupaderas
Dimensions: 29'8" x 11'7" Date: October 2001 Lead Community Muralists: Alex Rubio, Ruth Buentello, Oscar Flores, Damien Hernandez, Victor Mena Mural Coordinator: Alex Rubio Restorations: 2018 - Lead Restoration Muralists Marisol De La Garza and Jason Eric Gonzales Martinez |
Tradición y Cultura depicts the impact of Mexican-American lowrider culture in San Antonio. Sweet as Candy, the car in the center of the mural, belonged to the Tom and Lupe Stewart family. The four high school students who painted the mural discovered Sweet as Candy at a car show and, under the guidance of Community Mural Coordinator Alex Rubio, interviewed the Stewarts to gather content for the mural. The coats of arms on either side of Sweet as Candy represent Lupe and Tom and the crowns at the bottom represent their car club. Banners woven throughout the mural bear family members’ names, reminding viewers that lowrider culture is a tradition handed down from parents to their children. This mural was restored in the summer of 2018 with the same design but a fresh, bright coat of Novacolor paint.
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Content and Design
The design for Tradición y Cultura comes from lowrider body painting techniques. The central image is Sweet as Candy, a candy-apple pink Chevy lowrider with an Aztec eagle painted on the hood. The pink flames on the sides of the mural and the bubbles drifting throughout are commonly painted onto lowriders, and Sweet as Candy herself had pink flames engraved into her engine block as a symbol of owner Tom Stewart’s love for his wife, Lupe. The crowns on the right and left bottom corners of the mural represent the Stewarts’ old car club, Majestic Car Club.
Because Spanish-themed royal imagery is common in lowrider culture, youth artists designed two coats of arms to represent the Stewarts. The image on the right is Tom’s coat of arms, with pink flames and a Chrysler symbol to represent his car, a crown for his car club, and two regenerated Phoenixes to represent the restoration of an old car. The Virgin of Guadalupe presides over Lupe’s shield as a tribute to one of the most important religious icons in Mexican-American culture. The images include roses, which symbolize both the Virgin of Guadalupe and the beauty she stands for, wedding rings to represent familial devotion, and two peacocks as a complementary image to Tom’s phoenix. Ribbons threading throughout the mural bear the name of children, brothers, and sisters of the Stewart family, sending the message that lowrider culture is bound up in family tradition.
Although the mural tells the Stewart family’s story, it is about all lowrider families in San Antonio. The San Antonio skyline stands in the background, reminding viewers that lowrider culture and Mexican-American culture in general has shaped the entire city
Because Spanish-themed royal imagery is common in lowrider culture, youth artists designed two coats of arms to represent the Stewarts. The image on the right is Tom’s coat of arms, with pink flames and a Chrysler symbol to represent his car, a crown for his car club, and two regenerated Phoenixes to represent the restoration of an old car. The Virgin of Guadalupe presides over Lupe’s shield as a tribute to one of the most important religious icons in Mexican-American culture. The images include roses, which symbolize both the Virgin of Guadalupe and the beauty she stands for, wedding rings to represent familial devotion, and two peacocks as a complementary image to Tom’s phoenix. Ribbons threading throughout the mural bear the name of children, brothers, and sisters of the Stewart family, sending the message that lowrider culture is bound up in family tradition.
Although the mural tells the Stewart family’s story, it is about all lowrider families in San Antonio. The San Antonio skyline stands in the background, reminding viewers that lowrider culture and Mexican-American culture in general has shaped the entire city
History
Rubio started the project according to San Anto’s Community Mural process, taking the youth artists into the neighborhood surrounding the wall to conduct community surveys. Rubio and the team surveyed every household in view of the mural site. The survey asked respondents what subjects most concerned them, and what images from their neighborhood they wanted to see painted on a wall. Respondents emphasized Mexican-American cultural icons, especially the Virgin of Guadalupe and lowrider cars. Rubio pulled strings and Centro Cultural Aztlan donated tickets to the annual lowrider show at Camargo Park to the mural crew. That May, students examined every car at the park and unanimously agreed that their favorite was “Sweet as Candy,” a candy-apple red 1950 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by Tom and Lupe Stewart. The crew introduced themselves to Tom and Lupe and set up a time for an interview. Tom brought Sweet as Candy to the old San Anto offices at Inner City Development on Chihuahua St. so the youth artists could meet the family, collect references images, and cruise around the block in the pristine car.
Like many lowriders, Sweet as Candy was a family heirloom, passed from generation to generation of the Stewart family. Tom received his first lowrider from his father, Joe Stewart. Like Sweet as Candy, it was a 1950 Chevrolet, but Tom sold the car because he didn’t want to drive standard. When Tom’s father passed away, Tom decided to find the car again and restore it in memory of his father. Almost miraculously, Tom found the exact car in a near-ruined state, bought it for $500, and set to work on the restoration. Working with his brother Victor, Tom sliced the rotting top off the car and made it convertible. They took pieces from a 1980 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and applied them to the body of the 1950 car. Although finances were tight, Tom and Lupe set aside money for the car and even got sponsorships from KTFM and Mission Auto Parts. When the mural crew met the Stewart family, Tom was teaching his son how to prepare the car for “Show and Shine” displays, which involves not only mechanical repairs but also washing and detailing the car and installing placards about the car’s past exhibitions and trophies.
Once the mural was finished, Rubio organized a mural dedication to showcase not just the finished mural, but also Westside lowrider culture. Members of American Indians of Texas (AIT) gave the mural a traditional Coahuiltecan blessing and a long line of lowriders participated in a Show and Shine all the way up Chupaderas Street to Chihuahua Street. Families parked their cars outside the San Anto offices to eat and visit with guests. Lowrider Magazine sent journalists to cover the event and write a feature story about Tradición y Cultura and the car, Sweet as Candy.
Ruth Buentello, now a successful artist in her own right, launched her career with Sweet as Candy. The process helped her learn about the culture and engage with the people in her Westside community:
Like many lowriders, Sweet as Candy was a family heirloom, passed from generation to generation of the Stewart family. Tom received his first lowrider from his father, Joe Stewart. Like Sweet as Candy, it was a 1950 Chevrolet, but Tom sold the car because he didn’t want to drive standard. When Tom’s father passed away, Tom decided to find the car again and restore it in memory of his father. Almost miraculously, Tom found the exact car in a near-ruined state, bought it for $500, and set to work on the restoration. Working with his brother Victor, Tom sliced the rotting top off the car and made it convertible. They took pieces from a 1980 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and applied them to the body of the 1950 car. Although finances were tight, Tom and Lupe set aside money for the car and even got sponsorships from KTFM and Mission Auto Parts. When the mural crew met the Stewart family, Tom was teaching his son how to prepare the car for “Show and Shine” displays, which involves not only mechanical repairs but also washing and detailing the car and installing placards about the car’s past exhibitions and trophies.
Once the mural was finished, Rubio organized a mural dedication to showcase not just the finished mural, but also Westside lowrider culture. Members of American Indians of Texas (AIT) gave the mural a traditional Coahuiltecan blessing and a long line of lowriders participated in a Show and Shine all the way up Chupaderas Street to Chihuahua Street. Families parked their cars outside the San Anto offices to eat and visit with guests. Lowrider Magazine sent journalists to cover the event and write a feature story about Tradición y Cultura and the car, Sweet as Candy.
Ruth Buentello, now a successful artist in her own right, launched her career with Sweet as Candy. The process helped her learn about the culture and engage with the people in her Westside community:
“We had to come up with a design for the mural. The whole thing was to document this car, but this car was about Low Rider traditions and how important it was in the community that we appreciate the car culture...I always remember the dedications because they were so much fun. We had music, we had a ceremony, we had the mural blessed. Lowrider magazine was there and they took photos and we came out in the Lowrider magazine. That was really a hook -- we were able to complete the mural as a team. To be able to see the design on paper and then see it on the wall was pretty awesome. And just being outside and painting and having people come by and talk to us was just really, really fun.” |
CMP Coordinator Victor Zarazua initiated a full restoration of Tradición y Cultura in the summer of 2018. Marisol de la Garza lead the restoration, and jason eric gonzalez martinez served as assistant artist. Jason’s daughter Matilda Gonzales worked regularly on the restoration as a youth assistant, along with volunteers Erin Garcia, Rudy Herrera, Ivan Ramos, Priscilla T., Ashley S., and Vicente F. The mural was blessed on August 12, 2018 during San Anto’s Barrio Block Party. The block party and mural blessing filled Chupaderas Street with lowrider cars, a shaved ice truck, and booths for local vendors. Inside the centro, youth who participated in summer programming displayed and sold their artwork. The restored “Sweet as Candy” looks identical to the original, but Novacolor paint makes her colors bolder and brighter and she is protected from sun damage by a layer of clear coat.
About the Artist
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Alex Rubio, Original Lead Artist - Artist Alex Rubio met Manuel Castillo, founder of San Anto Cultural Arts, at a platica delivered by renown Chicana artist Judy Baca. Rubio had already made a career from public art, starting as a muralist with Community Cultural Arts (CCA) from 1985 to 1991. Juan Hernandez, CCA cofounder, recruited then sixteen-year-old artist when he noticed Rubio’s “black spray paint on brick wall” pieces scattered around the Mirasol Housing Projects. Rubio later worked as a muralist at the Bexar County jail, a traveling artist through an Artpace grant, and Artist in Residence for Guadalupe Cultural Arts.
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Castillo recruited Rubio to be the Community Mural Coordinator for San Anto Cultural arts, where he facilitated four murals in 2001 and 2002: Tradición y Cultura, Breaking the Cycle, Words, and The Good, Bad and Greedy. During his time as mural facilitator at San Anto, Rubio focused on training and supporting other artists, especially local youth. Although Rubio was the lead artist for Tradición y Cultura, he encouraged the four young crew members to lead the design and painting process. This team of youth artists included Ruth Buentello, Oscar Flores, Damien Hernandez, and Victor Mena. For the past 10 years, Rubio has served as the Artist in Residence for Blue Star Contemporary’s Mosaic of Youth Artists in Community (MOSAIC) program. Rubio also curates two of his own galleries, R-Space and Rubio Gallery-South.