Solar Mural Unveiled on City's Westside
January 31, 2020 - Westside San Antonio
Students and community members gather outside J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School on Friday morning for a small ceremony unveiling a land art generator solar mural. Photos by B. Kay Richter
Article by: B. Kay Richter - Writer, SA Sentinel
A small crowd of 50 community members gathered in the parking lot of the city's Westside neighborhood on Friday morning for the unveiling of a land art generator solar mural.
The mural was installed on one of the exterior walls of J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School and features a historical photo from a classroom in 1906 and a group of students from today's fifth-grade classroom.
Graciela Sanchez, the executive director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center gave the opening remarks.
"I grew up in the neighborhood and all my life there were outsiders calling this neighborhood bad, ugly, dangerous and scary. Well, that's not the truth. We want to challenge the negative stereotypes of our community," Sanchez said.
As part of the effort to challenge negative stereotypes, the Esperanza Center has collected hundreds of photos and oral histories from the neighborhood.
"Since 2006, we have had hundreds of these types of photos grace our fences and walls of this historic Westside community," Sanchez said. "People have loved and taken care of them and the only elements that have hurt these beautiful photos are wind, rain, and sun."
However, the outside elements will no longer be an issue due to the land art generator solar mural. The mural will receive power from the sun's powerful rays and will help to illuminate the art at night for all to enjoy.
As the fifth graders looked on as the mural was unveiled, some smiled while others stared in awe. Other students thanked the community members in prepared statements during the ceremony.
The project from the Esperanza Center was made possible through several area collaborations including The Alice Kleberg Foundation, Awesome San Antonio, Land Art Generator Initiative, Mission Solar Energy, Outback Power Technologies, South Texas Solar Systems, UNIRAC and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
B. Kay Richter is a writer and photographer residing in the Alamo City. Contact her at bkay@sasentinel.com