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Location: 2120 El Paso St.
Dimensions: 40' x 16'5" Date: June 1998 Lead Community Muralist: Mike Roman |
Artist Mike Roman created this mural to send a message of hope to his community. Jesus stands in front of Latin America, while angels fill prison windows with light as they reach towards the inmates’ outstretched arms. The letters at the bottom of the mural read paz, Salvación, y amor - peace, salvation, and love. The mural sits at the intersection of El Paso and Chupaderas, a street corner known for prostitution. By placing a mural there, San Anto Cultural Arts sought to shed light in a dark place.
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Content and design
Mike designed Salvación to represent the Catholic faith of many on the Westside and to be a beacon of hope for the entire community. Although not a practicing Catholic, Mike worked on the mural during a difficult time in his personal life and included his own wish for paz, salvación, y amor in the mural:
Growing up, seeing a lot of negative things, I felt like the angels were hope. And if you see the hands sticking out of the windows, we put the bars in there. Sometimes we feel caged ourselves so it was kind of a way of expressing [that] there is help if you reach out…I’m not wealthy, my parents aren’t wealthy, so you have to figure your way out, you have to figure out how you're gonna survive and what you’re gonna do to have hope. I think that’s what this mural was all about. At that time, I needed some help. |
The angels on each side of the barred windows represent hope to people who are incarcerated or feel trapped inside themselves. Light streams from behind them, illuminating the globe and the arms of the people reaching out for hope. These lights come from billowing storm clouds, illustrating that light can be found even in a dark place. The globe is turned to show Latin America, emphasizing the heritage of most people on the Westside. Jesus rises above the storm with sorrowful eyes and a crown of thorns. This image shows that he knows what it is like to suffer and can offer peace, salvation, and love to people in a hard place. The mural’s bright, solid colors help it to stand out from the rest of the street, instantly connecting with viewers.
History
Mike describes the design for the mural coming to him piece by piece as he worked, drawing on his own experiences in the Westside. Growing up, Mike remembers his grandmother praying the rosary every night before bed and lighting candles for her prayers. Working with religious imagery “felt like home" for him. Because Salvación was his first mural, Mike worked slowly but steadily, coming to paint every weekday for six months from January to July. He interacted with community members while he painted, including the neighbor across the street who complained that the lettering at the bottom of the mural reminded him of gang tagging and asked Mike to change it. Mike obliged. When the mural was finished, the same neighbor announced that he would start hosting his backyard barbecues with his back turned so Jesus wouldn’t see him drinking beer.
One hundred people attended the mural blessing. Local writer Jesus Jacinto Garcia read a poem and community leaders including Father Marty from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Patti Radle from Inner City Development spoke. An Aztec dance troupe performed a harmony dance to bless the mural. The only person missing at the mural blessing was the artist himself - six days before, Mike was severely injured in a car accident. Mike was bedridden for a month and unable to work for another six months. While Mike and his girlfriend survived the accident, Mike’s brother lost his life. He died shielding Mike with his own body. Even after this tragedy, Mike still finds hope in the Salvación mural, writing that “exactly what the mural symbolized is what I needed in my life to succeed which was peace, salvation, and love.”
Mike’s mural has touched the Westside community. People often leave ofrendas of fresh flowers, lit candles, food, and even brujerias under the image of Jesus. Sometimes people who do not feel comfortable in a church pray at this mural. Driving back from a show late at two in the moring, San Anto founder Manny Castillo saw a local street walker kneeling in front of the Salvación. Mike treasures this story because his art created a space where people felt enough power and comfort to pray.
When Mike worked on Salvación, San Anto did not yet own the building. It was a private residence owned by Ignacio Castillo. Before Castillo, the building had been a Maldonado and Sons convenience store. The intersection of El Paso and Chupaderas, where the building sits, has historically been a prostitution corner. San Anto Cultural Arts intentionally acquired the 2120 El Paso Street building in 2010 to be a positive presence in the middle of the neighborhood.
One hundred people attended the mural blessing. Local writer Jesus Jacinto Garcia read a poem and community leaders including Father Marty from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Patti Radle from Inner City Development spoke. An Aztec dance troupe performed a harmony dance to bless the mural. The only person missing at the mural blessing was the artist himself - six days before, Mike was severely injured in a car accident. Mike was bedridden for a month and unable to work for another six months. While Mike and his girlfriend survived the accident, Mike’s brother lost his life. He died shielding Mike with his own body. Even after this tragedy, Mike still finds hope in the Salvación mural, writing that “exactly what the mural symbolized is what I needed in my life to succeed which was peace, salvation, and love.”
Mike’s mural has touched the Westside community. People often leave ofrendas of fresh flowers, lit candles, food, and even brujerias under the image of Jesus. Sometimes people who do not feel comfortable in a church pray at this mural. Driving back from a show late at two in the moring, San Anto founder Manny Castillo saw a local street walker kneeling in front of the Salvación. Mike treasures this story because his art created a space where people felt enough power and comfort to pray.
When Mike worked on Salvación, San Anto did not yet own the building. It was a private residence owned by Ignacio Castillo. Before Castillo, the building had been a Maldonado and Sons convenience store. The intersection of El Paso and Chupaderas, where the building sits, has historically been a prostitution corner. San Anto Cultural Arts intentionally acquired the 2120 El Paso Street building in 2010 to be a positive presence in the middle of the neighborhood.
About the artist
As a kid growing up in the Westside, Mike was always drawing. When he was 22 and studying for his GED, a worker at the Willie Velasquez Community Center noticed Mike’s interest in art and encouraged him to reach out to San Anto Cultural Arts. Manny Castillo (Founder and Executive Director) was impressed with Mike’s ability and asked if he wanted to lead a mural. An artist had begun the Salvación mural on El Paso Street but left it unfinished. Mike took the job and finished his first mural before he turned 23. Later, Mike interned for renowned San Antonio artist Jesse Trevino as his assistant on the Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital mural, The Spirit of Healing. After this, Mike got a job at B2 Designs where he painted murals for Seaworld, Fiesta Texas, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Concordia Lutheran Church, and other major clients. He also stayed involved in the San Antonio art scene, working part time at the 1906 gallery, assisting with the mural Mano a Mano, and leading the Vietnam memorial mural You Are Not Forgotten. Now Mike lives on a South Side ranch with his wife and two dogs. Clients pay him to restore classic cars and he continues to paint in his spare time.