|
Location: 612 W Commerce St.
Dimensions: 18' x 155' Date: April 2023 Lead Community Muralists: Ashleigh Valentine Garza and Hailey Marmolejo Assistant Community Muralists: Doroteo Garza, Rosalinda Alvarez Turuda, and Malachy McKinney Installation Crew: Bryan Mancera, Joe De La Cruz, Domeinic Jimenez, Francisco Garcia Mural Coordinator: Cassidy Fritts |
PROCESS
In 2021, during a post-pandemic period, San Anto Cultural Arts and the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture worked together to create this massive community-based mural. Out of interest in continuing SACA's Mujerista mural series, two Co-Lead Community Muralists were recruited to combine their visions and creative styles together to honor the history of women and their work at Market Square.
Muralists, Ashleigh Garza and Hailey Marmolejo, were hired to lead the project. Returning SACA artists Rosalinda Alvarez Turuda and Doroteo Garza were brought on as Assistant Community Muralists to assist with their experience. Additionally, muralist Malachy McKinney was hired as an Assistant Community Muralist due to his experience with the material polytab. The lead muralists attended community meetings hosted with the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture to gather input from the community to shape the imagery of the mural.
This mural was designed for an exterior wall of Historic Market Square; the area had been experiencing lots of construction to improve roads and sidewalks. Due to the construction and a timeline that would involve painting during the hot San Antonio summer, San Anto Cultural Arts used polytab to create this mural. Polytab is an non-woven fabric used to paint murals remotely and install onto a surface later. Because of this method, the crew was able to prep and create the mural within the San Anto Cultural Arts Centro. After finalizing the image of the mural, the crew hosted Community Paint Days inside the SACA Centro. Volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities came to help paint this mural.
Muralists, Ashleigh Garza and Hailey Marmolejo, were hired to lead the project. Returning SACA artists Rosalinda Alvarez Turuda and Doroteo Garza were brought on as Assistant Community Muralists to assist with their experience. Additionally, muralist Malachy McKinney was hired as an Assistant Community Muralist due to his experience with the material polytab. The lead muralists attended community meetings hosted with the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture to gather input from the community to shape the imagery of the mural.
This mural was designed for an exterior wall of Historic Market Square; the area had been experiencing lots of construction to improve roads and sidewalks. Due to the construction and a timeline that would involve painting during the hot San Antonio summer, San Anto Cultural Arts used polytab to create this mural. Polytab is an non-woven fabric used to paint murals remotely and install onto a surface later. Because of this method, the crew was able to prep and create the mural within the San Anto Cultural Arts Centro. After finalizing the image of the mural, the crew hosted Community Paint Days inside the SACA Centro. Volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities came to help paint this mural.
At the end of production, construction at the site of the mural was still incomplete, prompting a pause in the process before installing onto the wall. In the meantime, the mural was able to live in storage in a custom crate at Centro de Artes, down the street from the mural site. Later in Spring 2023, SACA was able to proceed with installing the massive mural onto the exterior of Historic Market Square.
Bryan Mancera, local muralist and paint company owner, supported the process by priming the entirety of the wall and later applying the protective coatings. Joe De La Cruz, Domeinic Jiminez, and Francisco Garcia joined the crew to support the huge task of installing all of the polytab mural onto the wall. With a quick timeline for install in place, the installation crew and mural crew worked simultaneously to install polytab and paint any touch-ups. On the last day of installation, a private blessing of the mural and those involved with the project was performed by Rosalia Vargas.
During this time, alebrijes found in the mural were selected as the Official Fiesta Medals of 2023 and the artists were able to celebrate the completion of installation at a giveaway event.
An official dedication ceremony is TBD following the completion of all construction on Commerce St. in the Historic Market Square area.
Bryan Mancera, local muralist and paint company owner, supported the process by priming the entirety of the wall and later applying the protective coatings. Joe De La Cruz, Domeinic Jiminez, and Francisco Garcia joined the crew to support the huge task of installing all of the polytab mural onto the wall. With a quick timeline for install in place, the installation crew and mural crew worked simultaneously to install polytab and paint any touch-ups. On the last day of installation, a private blessing of the mural and those involved with the project was performed by Rosalia Vargas.
During this time, alebrijes found in the mural were selected as the Official Fiesta Medals of 2023 and the artists were able to celebrate the completion of installation at a giveaway event.
An official dedication ceremony is TBD following the completion of all construction on Commerce St. in the Historic Market Square area.
NARRATIVE
“The Spirit Within” is a massive 18′ x 155′ mural and was developed as part of the Department of Arts & Culture’s Public Art Program by collaborative artists Ashleigh Garza and Hailey Marmolejo in coordination with San Anto Cultural Arts.
The mural features a fantastical nighttime landscape that thematically explores and pays homage to the history of women and their work at Historic Market Square, which was determined through a series of community engagement sessions as part of the Department’s Public Art Process. The mural features women donning luchador masks, native plants, constellations, and magical alebrijes (mythical creatures represented through Mexican folk-art sculptures which can be found throughout Market Square). Every element incorporated in the mural serves as a reminder that the location’s rich multicultural history is imbued with feminine connotation.
“Historic Market Square has been a playground for creativity and community for centuries,” said artists Garza and Marmolejo in a joint statement. “We wanted to interpret this exuberance by making the alebrijes of Market Square come to life, while highlighting women, the history of San Antonio and the city’s multicultural population. The title of this mural speaks to the spirit of hope, love, strength, and resilience that we all embody.”
As detailed by the artists, alebrijes and other characters featured in the mural include:
Garza /Water Bird – Honors the Payaya creation story of Yanaguana (the San Antonio River). According to the story, a garza bird flew into a blue hole that was occupied by a blue panther. The blue panther chase the water bird out of the hole, and as it flies out, the water from the blue hole spreads from the feathers of its wings and blesses the land with the Yanaguana River.
Panther – Feminine representation of the blue panther that chased out the water bird.
Coyote – Native American symbol of creativity.
Scorpion – Symbol of protection.
Fish – Representation of the flow of life, spiritual change and motion.
Giraffe – These elegant creatures are said to be divine messengers of this world.
Birds – Representation of San Antonio’s Chili Queens in mystical alebrije form.
Praying Mantis – Thought to have connection to the spiritual world.
Monarch Butterfly – Representative of Mexican culture, migration and ancestral souls returning to visit for Día de los Muertos.
Armadillo – Known as the little armored one, serves as a Native American symbol of protection and guarded disposition, like a mother.
Payaya native woman reaching into the water.
Cat Woman – Symbol of mixed cultures.
Tejana woman in a traditional Mexican dress and cowgirl boots.
This mural is part of a multi-year Zona Cultural Public Art effort, supported by 2017 Bond program funds, with the goal of connecting the City’s Westside to San Pedro Creek. Additional public artworks to be created in Zona Cultural will include sculptures at corners of Frio and Commerce Streets, a mural on the back of Plaza de Armas building facing San Pedro Creek, and sculptures near the Santa Rosa and Commerce Street intersection.
The mural features a fantastical nighttime landscape that thematically explores and pays homage to the history of women and their work at Historic Market Square, which was determined through a series of community engagement sessions as part of the Department’s Public Art Process. The mural features women donning luchador masks, native plants, constellations, and magical alebrijes (mythical creatures represented through Mexican folk-art sculptures which can be found throughout Market Square). Every element incorporated in the mural serves as a reminder that the location’s rich multicultural history is imbued with feminine connotation.
“Historic Market Square has been a playground for creativity and community for centuries,” said artists Garza and Marmolejo in a joint statement. “We wanted to interpret this exuberance by making the alebrijes of Market Square come to life, while highlighting women, the history of San Antonio and the city’s multicultural population. The title of this mural speaks to the spirit of hope, love, strength, and resilience that we all embody.”
As detailed by the artists, alebrijes and other characters featured in the mural include:
Garza /Water Bird – Honors the Payaya creation story of Yanaguana (the San Antonio River). According to the story, a garza bird flew into a blue hole that was occupied by a blue panther. The blue panther chase the water bird out of the hole, and as it flies out, the water from the blue hole spreads from the feathers of its wings and blesses the land with the Yanaguana River.
Panther – Feminine representation of the blue panther that chased out the water bird.
Coyote – Native American symbol of creativity.
Scorpion – Symbol of protection.
Fish – Representation of the flow of life, spiritual change and motion.
Giraffe – These elegant creatures are said to be divine messengers of this world.
Birds – Representation of San Antonio’s Chili Queens in mystical alebrije form.
Praying Mantis – Thought to have connection to the spiritual world.
Monarch Butterfly – Representative of Mexican culture, migration and ancestral souls returning to visit for Día de los Muertos.
Armadillo – Known as the little armored one, serves as a Native American symbol of protection and guarded disposition, like a mother.
Payaya native woman reaching into the water.
Cat Woman – Symbol of mixed cultures.
Tejana woman in a traditional Mexican dress and cowgirl boots.
This mural is part of a multi-year Zona Cultural Public Art effort, supported by 2017 Bond program funds, with the goal of connecting the City’s Westside to San Pedro Creek. Additional public artworks to be created in Zona Cultural will include sculptures at corners of Frio and Commerce Streets, a mural on the back of Plaza de Armas building facing San Pedro Creek, and sculptures near the Santa Rosa and Commerce Street intersection.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The Lead Community Muralists took part in the San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture community process for their public art pieces where they hosted virtual community meetings with employees and vendors of Market Square to collect ideas for the mural's content. Following the meetings and feedback from the project's stakeholders, San Anto Cultural Arts hosted several Community Paint Days throughout the summer of 2022 where community members of all ages and skill levels were welcomed into our Centro to help paint the polytab tiles.