Bienvenidos al Westside
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Location: Guadalupe St. between S. Colorado St. and S. San Marcos St. Original date: August 2014 Original artist: Kaylee Diaz Original mural coordinator: John Medina |
Bienvenidos al Westside is perhaps San Anto Cultural Arts’ most iconic mural. Covering five walls along the Guadalupe Street, the mural is the first thing people see when they enter the Westside. Each of the five sections features different scenes from daily life in the Westside, ranging from Spurs fans to taquerias to mothers’ day mariachis. A collaboration between San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), San Anto Cultural Arts, and UTSA art major Kaylee Diaz, the mural was created through a series of meetings and workshops at public housing units on the Westside. Youth from the Alazan-Apache Courts, Cassiano Homes, and Lincoln Heights Courts helped to design and paint the mural.
Click on one of the images below to learn more.
View this slideshow to browse this history of this mural:
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History
San Anto Cultural Arts partnered with the San Antonio Housing Authority to beautify the Westside and provide an opportunity for local youth to volunteer and contribute to public art. Over a ten-week period, youth from the Alazan-Apache Courts, Cassiano Homes, and Lincoln Heights Courts helped to complete the piece. San Anto lead meetings at each of the locations to plan and design the mural. Because the murals were painted on polytab material and later installed on the walls, San Anto staff and artists could transport the mural panels to different locations, including the Courts, the Cassiano Homes, and special events like the Spurs “Team Up” day.
Kaylee Diaz, an art student at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) lead the project. When Kaylee accepted an internship at San Anto Cultural Arts through the Bexar County Internship Program, she did not know she was going to be leading a 300-foot mural in a public space. In an interview with the UTSA Department of Art and Art History, Kaylee describes her experience working on the mural:
Kaylee Diaz, an art student at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) lead the project. When Kaylee accepted an internship at San Anto Cultural Arts through the Bexar County Internship Program, she did not know she was going to be leading a 300-foot mural in a public space. In an interview with the UTSA Department of Art and Art History, Kaylee describes her experience working on the mural:
It was awesome when people would pass by wanting to thank me for doing something so nice for their neighborhood. It really makes an impact when positivity comes across such a public space and influences the neighborhood. People are happy and that’s what really matters. |
San Anto Cultural Arts’ founder and first Executive Director Manny Castillo always dreamed of having murals at the two main entrances to the Westside, Guadalupe Street and West Commerce Street. The West Commerce entrance was covered by San Anto’s thirty-seventh mural, La musica de San Anto. Bienvenidos al Westside brought Manny’s vision to completion.