Two renowned muralists educate the community through artwork inspired by the neighborhood
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- On Saturday El Pasoans celebrated the unveiling of artist Jesus “Cimi” Alvarado's latest mural. The mural honored the history of the 1960’s Chicano Civil Rights Movement and the struggles they faced.
The Mexican-American Youth Association or the M.A.Y.A were a group of kids from El Paso’s Segundo Barrio. They worked together from the late 1960s until the early 1970s to improve their living conditions and bring awareness to some of the issues they faced in their high school.
Alvarado said when he looked for inspiration for the mural, he thought about his own mentors and even included one of them in the mural, his former history teacher Oscar Lozano. Alvarado said the Chicano studies class at his school encouraged him to dive deeper into his culture, activism and working with the community.
"Unfortunately, our stories are not being told or not being taught in the school system. So our youth, especially our youth of color, do not know much about our own history, about our own culture. And, this is a way for me to tell the stories, trying to bring attention to the importance of our people," said Alvarado.
Alvarado mural is located on the external wall of El Paso Boys & Girls club, 801 S Florence St, El Paso, TX 79901.
Another artist Carlos Callejo celebrated the renaming and unveiling of a mural he painted 30 years ago. What was once known as the Multipurpose Mural room will now be called the Carlos Callejo Mural room. Callejo says the El Paso library wanted a mural that inspired discovery but also incorporated the past, the present and the future.
Callejo says he used faces of children from the neighbor to represent the past and astronauts to represent the future "With the intention of connecting them to their ancestors, themselves and their cosmic futures," said Callejo. A plaque will be placed inside the room in honor of Callejo.
Carlos Callejo Mural room is located at the El Paso Public Library Armijo Library Branch, 620 E 7th Ave, El Paso, TX 79901.
