San Jose arts officials approve mural in stunning reversal

A mural honoring Chicano historical figures will move forward after San Jose arts commissioners made a surprising decision.

Dozens of supporters for a proposed mural in San Jose’s Northside neighborhood attended a San Jose Arts Commission meeting Monday at City Hall, after a clash with critics at a previous community meeting threatened to delay the project. In a split 5-3 decision, commissioners initially voted to delay the approval, pushing the topic to either May or June. When supporters erupted in outrage and asked commissioners to reconsider their decision, they unexpectedly reversed course and took another vote — unanimously agreeing to approve the Chicano-themed mural on the handball court at Backesto Park just north of downtown.

Members of community organizations like United Lowrider Council of San Jose and Silicon Valley De-Bug challenged arts commissioners who said mural supporters failed to “follow the process.”

Ramon Castillo, mural coordinator, reiterated he began discussing the project with city officials last year. He said he followed the process as described on the city’s applications, including hosting public input sessions and allowing discussion on the mural’s proposed design. He said the mural is privately funded.

“I feel that last night’s recommendation to vote yes to approve was the right thing to do based on the facts,” Castillo told San José Spotlight. “There was nothing inclusive about trying to exclude those who are often already excluded.”

San Jose Public Art Director Michael Ogilvie also recommended the arts commission approve the mural’s concept and design.

Critics of the mural, including members of the 13th Street Neighborhood Advisory Committee, said they already had art planned for the wall at the park’s handball court before the pandemic, even though they had yet to come up with a design.

Craig Chivatero, an advisory committee representative, told San José Spotlight city officials should have contacted the advisory committee as soon as they found out about the mural.

San Jose Director of Cultural Affairs Kerry Adams Hapner and Lynne Rosenthal, vice chair of the arts commission, fielded questions from residents, which included critics of the mural who said they don’t agree with the proposed design and location.

In an effort to appease neighbors who argued they’d been left out of the initial planning process, commissioners voted to allow the exploration of an alternative location for residents to add other murals.

“There were several Northside groups and individuals attending (from the previous meeting) who spoke saying they had very short or no notice or inclusion in the project as proposed and presented,” Rosenthal told San José Spotlight. “This is a self-funded project for a public building. The Office of Cultural Affairs is not in charge, but because it is a public facility, there must be city approval.”

Castillo said the neighborhood, including many supporters in the lowrider community, are more than capable of funding the mural.
Artists Analyn Bones, Alfonso Salazar and John Garcia, who designed the concept for the mural, redesigned it after hearing feedback on the project’s artistry at the April 16 community meeting.

The updated design removed a duplication of the “Brown is Beautiful” quote and also traded out finer details for palm trees and soft colors.

“My love and respect to you all for standing with us for us. We went from ‘Si Se Puede’ (Yes We Can) to ‘Si Lo Hacimos’ (Yes We Did It),” Castillo told San José Spotlight. “I am using a portion of my (recent financial) settlement to pay for this mural.”