Rediscovering a historic D.C. mural
By hola | Published | 4 Comments
“América se descubre / America Discovers Itself” by Carlos Arrien
Local artist and musician Carlos Arrien sent us the following description of this wonderful example of long-lost D.C. mural art. Like so many other D.C. Latino murals painted in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, “America discovers…” was destroyed when the building was redeveloped several years after Arrien painted it. He sent us this photo and some background about the work:
The title turns the idea of discovery on its head and turns it into what really was happening at that 500th anniversary and continues to this day, a journey of self discovery for the Americas—a people uncovering their roots and realizing their potential.
I meant it as an illustration for the folks who walked the nearby streets perhaps ignoring the rich visual heritage of their own culture, both ancient and modern; a counter point to the iconography of video games and comic books. That is why I “lifted” from many native sculptures and architectural features, such as the Olmec head (life size) as well as colonial architecture, the native contemporary so called “crafts” such as the weaving that dominates and ties together the composition. And finally, there are the images taken directly from the great Mexican muralists of the last century: [David Alfaro] Siqueiros’ self portrait and [José Clemente] Orozco’s “Man on fire.”
The mural also includes a narrative, Arrien says, that begins before the Spanish conquest of the New World, continues through the colonial period. The unfinished tower at the top of the center building represents contemporary times. The figures in the upper left illustrate the forces of domination, while the artisans and artists on the right represent the opposing forces of resistance and the potential of America discovering itself.
Arrien painted the mural in 1991 with the assistance of two apprentices from the Latin American Youth Center, under the auspices of the now defunct Centro de Arte and a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The Center operated out of the Wilson Center at the corner of 15th and Irving streets NW in the courtyard between the two main buildings. This 20 ft. x 40 ft. mural used acrylic paint to decorate what was the back wall of the sanctuary of the building, a former church. The wall has since been replaced by a drab gray addition that partially fills the former courtyard space.
We’ve added this mural to the D.C. Latino History Map. Check out the map! Read our Special Issue on DC’s Latino History. Do you have anything you’d like to add? Please email us: holacultura@gmail.com.
*Photos of the former Wilson Center courtesy of Carlos Arrien
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