By Kessly Salinas
Have you ever walked past a mural and not given it much thought?
Behind those vibrant colors and art-filled walls lie the stories of the people who make up our community. The trailblazers of the past and present pave the way to positive change and inspire future leaders. From César Chávez organizing labor unions to Ana Sisnett pioneering free internet for schools and public spaces, we learn to fight for our gente.
In our latest video series, we have highlighted significant places around Austin para nuestra gente. Check out three local murals that tell nuestras historias.
Hillside Theater at the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/ Pan American Recreation Center murals
(2100 E. 3rd St., Austin, TX 78702)
The Hillside Theater at the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/ Pan American Recreation Center in East Austin opened in 1958. In 1978, artist Raúl Valdez painted the walls of the hillside amphitheater. This mural represents the East Austin community, which chose the themes of war and peace for this artwork.
Bolm Road murals (near 4717 Bolm Road, Austin, TX 78702)
The Bolm Road murals, stretching over 900 ft., portray Govalle neighborhood leaders such as Johnny Limon, the Rivera brothers, and Mary and Daniel Guerra. Themes of this mural include sustainability, involvement, and the past, present and future.
The eight artists who worked on Bolm Road were selected from a competitive process led by Raasin in the Sun. Featured artists are: Amado Castillo, Brittany Johnson, Candy Kuo, Catie Lewis, Chroma Collective, Jaime Prado, Ruben Esquivel, and Samara Barks. According to the City of Austin, “when crews pressure washed the walls to prepare for the painting, an old wall tag from the 1980s was discovered. The original artist, Mando Martinez, recreated the tag which reads – amor risa.”
Technomama and Latina leader mosaic portraits
(2401 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin Texas 78702 and 5803 Nuckols Crossing Road, Austin, TX 78744)
Latinitas, a nonprofit organization that empowers young Latinas, highlighted seven women leaders through mosaic portraits. Six of these murals reside at the Southeast Branch Austin Public Library. You can find the “Technomama” mural at the Holly Commons parking lot on Cesar Chavez Street. The women featured in these mosaic art pieces include Ana Sisnett, Dr. Teresa Lozano-Long, Marta Cotera, Cathy Vasquez Revilla, Peggy Vasquez, Bertha Sadler Means and Sylvia Orozco.
The portraits were created by the art studio The Mosaic Workshop and its team of artists including Carmen Rangel, Lys Santamaria, Litzy Valdez, Lola Rodriguez and Veronica Ceci.
