Historic Mural Draws Fire
Latino community says recreation of 1950s theater mural shows offensive stereotypes-->By: Ray Doughty
Updated: March 2, 2012
Is it a nostalgic look at the past or something more offensive?
A historic mural that was once at Mission Drive-In in San Antonio, Texas is now the source of some controversy on the city's South Side.
The city's cultural affairs office is asking artists to submit proposals to re-create a mural at the old Mission Drive-In.
The problem is some artists, activists, and residents of the South Side say the image that may have worked in the 1950s is now considered offensive to Hispanics.
The image back then showed a mission and two men wearing sombreros, with one man standing next to a donkey and the other taking a siesta.
"It presents a negative image and stigma of the South Side community," said TC Calvert, who opposes the re-creation of the mural.
Calvert is among about a dozen people who showed up Monday morning to protest the re-creation of the image.
Among them was San Antonio artist Jesse Trevino, who is well known for his mural at Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, as well as many other murals throughout the city.
Some of his work is also displayed at the Smithsonian.
"Whoever put that together should have noticed that we're putting a very negative offensive image that was going to be out there," Trevino said.
Trevino added the mural was acceptable back in the 1950s, but the image went away with the mural and so to bring it back would not depict the community today.
A spokesperson for the San Antonio office of cultural affairs said the intent was not to offend anyone and that there is a simple explanation.
"You have to use the term "re-create" where you create something that goes through the historic review process and gets agreed upon but you cannot restore it," explained Jimmy Leflore.
The spokesperson adds they did not mean to offend anyone and agrees the mural should depict the community as it is today.
The mural is expected to be in place by the fall.
A historic mural that was once at Mission Drive-In in San Antonio, Texas is now the source of some controversy on the city's South Side.
The city's cultural affairs office is asking artists to submit proposals to re-create a mural at the old Mission Drive-In.
The problem is some artists, activists, and residents of the South Side say the image that may have worked in the 1950s is now considered offensive to Hispanics.
The image back then showed a mission and two men wearing sombreros, with one man standing next to a donkey and the other taking a siesta.
"It presents a negative image and stigma of the South Side community," said TC Calvert, who opposes the re-creation of the mural.
Calvert is among about a dozen people who showed up Monday morning to protest the re-creation of the image.
Among them was San Antonio artist Jesse Trevino, who is well known for his mural at Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, as well as many other murals throughout the city.
Some of his work is also displayed at the Smithsonian.
"Whoever put that together should have noticed that we're putting a very negative offensive image that was going to be out there," Trevino said.
Trevino added the mural was acceptable back in the 1950s, but the image went away with the mural and so to bring it back would not depict the community today.
A spokesperson for the San Antonio office of cultural affairs said the intent was not to offend anyone and that there is a simple explanation.
"You have to use the term "re-create" where you create something that goes through the historic review process and gets agreed upon but you cannot restore it," explained Jimmy Leflore.
The spokesperson adds they did not mean to offend anyone and agrees the mural should depict the community as it is today.
The mural is expected to be in place by the fall.
