|
Location: 2301 Buena Vista St.
Dimensions: Left wall: 21.5'x7.5'; right wall: 29.5'x8' Date: August 2023 Lead Community Muralists: Jocelyn Quientero, Samantha Monzon, Kye Blackburn Mural Coordinator: Cassidy Fritts |
PROCESS
During the year of its 30th Anniversary, San Anto Cultural Arts wanted to return to its roots of strong youth-based art and embarked on assembling a crew of teen muralists for its 62nd Community Mural. In the spirit of returning to roots, they revisited an initial vision founders had for the organization of creating a corridor of connection through community-based public art from the west side to the south side of San Antonio. To start revisiting these efforts, SACA sought to recruit teen muralists from Sidney Lanier High School on the west side of San Antonio and teen muralists from Dillard McCollum High School on the south side of San Antonio.
The process followed was a pilot process to jumpstart engagement again with teens in the Community Mural Program. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, connections between SACA and the community had to persevere through being separated and not being able to physically create public art together. Through resilience and strategy, the organization was able to maintain a level of engagement, but youth everywhere were severely effected by the pandemic. This teen-led mural was a step towards reinvigorating our community's teens with creative spirit and initiative to be present in their communities through a platform and tools SACA could provide.
An Open Call application became open to students on both high school campuses and SACA staff visited classes to present about the program and opportunity. After the application period concluded, finalists were chosen and interviewed. From there, the SACA 62nd Community Mural crew was formed. This included Samantha Monzon, a junior at Dillard McCollum High School at the time who had paint experience working alongside her family painting homes as well as assisting on a mural in her campus' Dream Center. Another teen muralist selected was Kye Blackburn, a junior at Sidney Lanier High School at the time; Kye had moved to San Antonio's west side in recent years from Louisiana and had a passion for the arts engrained in him and applied for this opportunity as a way to further connect with his new home. Another Dillard McCollum High School student on the crew was Jocelyn Quientero, who was a sophomore at the time; Jocelyn had a lot of community-facing and collaboration experience working in a bakery on the southside, but applied out of excitement to connect, engage with, and empower her communities.
The teen muralists attended a SACA Community Mural Orientation, touring the west side of San Antonio to observe, discuss, and be inspired by the community murals made by the muralists before them. They learned about the importance of hearing what the community wanted in the mural, respecting cultural history and the history of the area, and the value of adding to the legacy of community muralism in San Antonio.
The wall location was at a new organization Parenting Plus located at 2301 Buena Vista St. The organization, ran by Gena Meyer, aims to provide resources for families in the area including donations like diapers, personal hygiene products, even presents during the holidays. It also provides family development courses and access to other resources. Gena Meyer was a supportive and generous Wall Owner throughout the project by attending meetings, being present during community paint days, providing refreshments to the painters, and being a gracious host of the dedication ceremony.
The teen muralists hosted community meetings at Lanier HS, McCollum HS and SACA. After collecting input from so many community members, the artists designed the mural together and proceeded into hosting community paint days. People from the community meetings came to paint as did former SACA volunteers, SACA after school youth, new volunteers, and students and staff from both high schools.
The process followed was a pilot process to jumpstart engagement again with teens in the Community Mural Program. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, connections between SACA and the community had to persevere through being separated and not being able to physically create public art together. Through resilience and strategy, the organization was able to maintain a level of engagement, but youth everywhere were severely effected by the pandemic. This teen-led mural was a step towards reinvigorating our community's teens with creative spirit and initiative to be present in their communities through a platform and tools SACA could provide.
An Open Call application became open to students on both high school campuses and SACA staff visited classes to present about the program and opportunity. After the application period concluded, finalists were chosen and interviewed. From there, the SACA 62nd Community Mural crew was formed. This included Samantha Monzon, a junior at Dillard McCollum High School at the time who had paint experience working alongside her family painting homes as well as assisting on a mural in her campus' Dream Center. Another teen muralist selected was Kye Blackburn, a junior at Sidney Lanier High School at the time; Kye had moved to San Antonio's west side in recent years from Louisiana and had a passion for the arts engrained in him and applied for this opportunity as a way to further connect with his new home. Another Dillard McCollum High School student on the crew was Jocelyn Quientero, who was a sophomore at the time; Jocelyn had a lot of community-facing and collaboration experience working in a bakery on the southside, but applied out of excitement to connect, engage with, and empower her communities.
The teen muralists attended a SACA Community Mural Orientation, touring the west side of San Antonio to observe, discuss, and be inspired by the community murals made by the muralists before them. They learned about the importance of hearing what the community wanted in the mural, respecting cultural history and the history of the area, and the value of adding to the legacy of community muralism in San Antonio.
The wall location was at a new organization Parenting Plus located at 2301 Buena Vista St. The organization, ran by Gena Meyer, aims to provide resources for families in the area including donations like diapers, personal hygiene products, even presents during the holidays. It also provides family development courses and access to other resources. Gena Meyer was a supportive and generous Wall Owner throughout the project by attending meetings, being present during community paint days, providing refreshments to the painters, and being a gracious host of the dedication ceremony.
The teen muralists hosted community meetings at Lanier HS, McCollum HS and SACA. After collecting input from so many community members, the artists designed the mural together and proceeded into hosting community paint days. People from the community meetings came to paint as did former SACA volunteers, SACA after school youth, new volunteers, and students and staff from both high schools.
During this process, the teen muralists experienced obstacles that many muralists face including weather limitations and even vandalism. The mural saw several delays due to freezing and rain in the winter and spring then extreme heat in the beginning of the summer; however, they worked when they were able, balancing this project with school and work. About halfway through painting, the wall was tagged with simple graffiti; the teens were able to cover it up and continue painting and the wall wasn't touched with vandalism again.
After completing painting, a dedication ceremony was held on August 19th, 2023 at Parenting Plus. Attendees included volunteers on the mural, staff and students from both high schools, the District 1 Citycouncilwoman Teri Castillo, members of Representative Joaquin Castro's staff, fellow artists, and more. The blessing was given by Rosalia Vargas, who blessed the mural and the teen muralists.
NARRATIVE
This mural is inspired by the relationship between the west and south sides of San Antonio, created with input from community members on both sides of town. The mural is titled The Path to New Beginnings in reference to the path in the imagery and the overall concept of creating a stronger relationship between the two sides of town via shared cultures and more. Some of the input received in the community meetings included seeing places and scenes that community members are fond of and familiar with on either side of town; some expressed wanting to see bright colors, references to the indigenous history of the city, and an overall sense of transforming the stigma of the two sides of town that some believe they've been stereotyped by.
The teens designed an alebrije, spirit animal, in the form of a colorful owl -- the owl is often seen as a symbol of protection and prosperity. The owl flys above a path that stretches across the walls and are held by two hands. The two hands, adorned with jewelry and protective ojo bracelets, are meant to represent the hands of our ancestors. In their hands, the path they hold starts as water, a symbol of life, and transforms into a street that connects both sides of the wall.
In the middle of this path is a street sign reading "Zarzamora" and "Military," meant to signify the San Antonio intersection known to be approximately the middle between the two sides of town, according to community members. Throughout the path you see people, animals, cars, and more. The people are based on people that the teens and community members have seen in the community, ranging from elders walking, someone helping a houseless neighbor, someone picking up trash, and even some meant to resemble real people including a family from the southside that volunteered with the mural and a family from the west side that also volunteered with the mural. The teens added a few more figures meant to resemble people they met in the neighborhood who frequented the wall during its creation; this includes the man with the basketball who was a neighbor that checked in on the wall when the crew painted as well as a mom and her son walking a dog who pass the wall everyday on their way to HEB. The street also features animals like stray dogs, that we often see on the west side, but also chickens and horses that we can also sometimes see on the southside. Cars like a lowrider truck and lowrider car are featured, referencing car culture on both sides of town and the memories that people have of "cruising" Zarzamora or Military. The street also features cracks in the roads; these are meant to directly reference the physical appearance of streets on both sides of town as the teen muralists wanted to display the honesty of the state of the streets. However, through these cracks, flowers bloom, signifying the beautiful resilience of both sides of town.
The teens designed an alebrije, spirit animal, in the form of a colorful owl -- the owl is often seen as a symbol of protection and prosperity. The owl flys above a path that stretches across the walls and are held by two hands. The two hands, adorned with jewelry and protective ojo bracelets, are meant to represent the hands of our ancestors. In their hands, the path they hold starts as water, a symbol of life, and transforms into a street that connects both sides of the wall.
In the middle of this path is a street sign reading "Zarzamora" and "Military," meant to signify the San Antonio intersection known to be approximately the middle between the two sides of town, according to community members. Throughout the path you see people, animals, cars, and more. The people are based on people that the teens and community members have seen in the community, ranging from elders walking, someone helping a houseless neighbor, someone picking up trash, and even some meant to resemble real people including a family from the southside that volunteered with the mural and a family from the west side that also volunteered with the mural. The teens added a few more figures meant to resemble people they met in the neighborhood who frequented the wall during its creation; this includes the man with the basketball who was a neighbor that checked in on the wall when the crew painted as well as a mom and her son walking a dog who pass the wall everyday on their way to HEB. The street also features animals like stray dogs, that we often see on the west side, but also chickens and horses that we can also sometimes see on the southside. Cars like a lowrider truck and lowrider car are featured, referencing car culture on both sides of town and the memories that people have of "cruising" Zarzamora or Military. The street also features cracks in the roads; these are meant to directly reference the physical appearance of streets on both sides of town as the teen muralists wanted to display the honesty of the state of the streets. However, through these cracks, flowers bloom, signifying the beautiful resilience of both sides of town.