To be Presented to Chicano Park for Their Forty Second Anniversary
Cesar Chavez once remarked that, “Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?” – A very ambitious group students at O’Farrell Community School in Southeast San Diego have just completed portrait of Cesar Chavez, honoring his life and struggle and are preparing to present it to Chicano Park.
In the tradition of giving back to the community, championed by Cesar Chavez, Spanish instructor Jose Islas spent the last six weeks working after school with his students to create an original work of art reaching nearly ten feet in height and consisting of 5500 dominoes. Inspired by the work of mathematician Robert Bosch of Oberlin College, Mr. Islas started with one hundred sets of double nine dominoes, which contain 55 unique dominoes in each set and by using the techniques of mathematical optimization, Jose accomplished his goal of using every single domino, with not one left over.
Mr. Islas, whose parents, Jose and Luz were educators in Mexico, decided to become a teacher to inspire students and have them realize that with hard work and education they can make the impossible possible. The task was a bit daunting, he admitted and many times he did not know to do. We first had to sort over 5000 dominoes, next groups of students working with blueprints put together 100 tile sections. They were then checked for accuracy and glued to vinyl tiles. A custom frame was built and painted. Lastly the vinyl times were glued down to the frame and the last 500 joints were installed.
This very special gift to Chicano Park will be unveiled April 21st at 2:00 p.m., at the 42nd Anniversary of Chicano Park. The park is home to the country’s largest collection of outdoor murals (67) as well as various sculptures, earthworks, and architectural pieces dedicated the cultural heritage of the community. Chicano Park was founded on April 22, 1970 when the community of Barrio Logan Chicano activists joined forces to protest the construction of a Highway Patrol station on the present site of the park. “What Jose Islas has done is nothing less than provide some validation and permanence to the hopes and dream of the members of our community,” noted Executive Director Dr. Jonathan Dean.
