Fourteen Southwestern College students recently visited Chicano Park to document the on-going mural revitalization project. Artists Victor Ochoa and Mario Chacón took time out from repainting the All the Way to the Bay mural to provide a guided tour of the Parque and explain its history. With the students, they discussed the significance of the revitalized/restored murals. Students also met with Sacramento poet, composer, and visual artist José Montoya who was in San Diego to repaint/revitalize his 1975 Leyes (La Familia) mural. The tour is one of many provided throughout the year by the Chicano Park Steering Committee.
The students are part of Professor Juan Pacheco’s Art 205 – Beginning Digital Photography class. The field trip is a great example of college and community interaction. One of the students, Jerry Dequito, will have his photograph reproduced in this issue of La Prensa San Diego. All of the students enjoyed learning from the mural artists themselves about Chicano Park, one of the most significant cultural achievements of the Chicano Movement.