Bridge Murals Offer a Lesson in Public Art

With all of the acrimonious debate over public art proposals in recent years, Times staff writer Armando Acuna’s story on attempts to restore and expand the murals in Chicano Park was a refreshing reminder that public art, even controversial public art, can be accepted in San Diego if given time.

The murals painted on the pillars of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge were born of the bitter controversy of Chicano Park, controversy that continues today as community activists try to expand the Barrio Logan park. The brightly colored murals depicting the history of the Chicano struggle were not easily embraced in conservative San Diego. The passion in the works of Salvadore Torres and other artists was intimidating to many Anglos.

It was not until 1987--14 years after Torres started painting the pillars--that the city of San Diego formally recognized the murals as public art.

Now they are visited by tourists and artists, are internationally recognized and are considered “one of the most important public art contributions in the country” by the executive director of the city’s Commission for Arts and Culture.

Recently, the arts commission appointed a committee to develop a master plan for expanding and restoring the deteriorating paintings.

The murals’ gradual acceptance is the rule with public art, rather than the exception. The art world is replete with examples of works that were scorned initially but later viewed as community assets.

But public officials here have trouble getting past the public outcry stage, thereby depriving the community of the artistic benefits that come with time.

In the last four years, for instance, the San Diego Unified Port District’s Board of Commissioners has rejected three sculptures, two by nationally known artists.

Luckily, Torres and the other artists whose works have transformed bridge supports into museum walls did not have to submit proposals to a public commission. Otherwise, the community might never have known these works.

Now the task is to preserve the murals, which are deteriorating, and to expand the art work onto additional pillars.

Torres and Barrio Logan community leaders realized that this would mean raising money and building bridges with the city and the state. The result was a Chicano Park Murals Committee, which includes officials from the city and the California Department of Transportation.

Missing from the committee is a representative of the Port District. Although the port was invited, Port Director Don Nay says there is no reason for the port to participate since the pillars are not on port land.

But the port has been intimately involved with the development of a bayfront park that the community considers a part of Chicano Park, and the port will be involved for some time. In fact, the stormy history of the bayfront park may contribute to the port’s reluctance to participate. The port may also be gun shy about public art projects given the reaction to the earlier decisions.

All the more reason for the port to accept the community’s invitation. It would be a chance to repair relations with the barrio community and to get involved in a well-accepted public art project, one that is no longer controversial.

Torres, the co-chairman of the committee, puts it well. He said he would like port officials to join the mural effort “even if they came with a closed mind,” because the park’s art might touch their hearts. “They would gain an understanding of public art,” he said.

And that would benefit the whole community.