The City of Temecula’s Community Services Department, Temecula Valley Unified School District, and the Temecula Valley Museum announce a new Emerging Artist Mural in Sam Hicks Monument Park (28300 Mercedes Street). This temporary public art piece honors César Chávez and celebrates California César Chávez Day (March 31, 2023).
The Emerging Artist Mural Project seeks to support emerging artists by providing a space to showcase their craft. Artists paint a mural on varying topics, facilitated by Bigfoot Graphics. For the months of March and April, a mural of César Chávez is showcased to remember Chávez’s leadership and contributions he made to improve the lives of California farm workers.
This beautiful mural was created by a group of students at Great Oak High School led by their teacher, Marco Magallanes. The students that contributed to this powerful mural include: Amelia Kosmal, Jessie Shaw, Mirando Santo, Brooke Dresbach, Samantha Oppod, Avery Shartzer, Hannah Kim, Gianna Alvarado, Lauren Meyers, Melanie Castro, Connor Gonzalez, Isabella Hogan, Isabella Resendiz, Savanna Gallegos, and Isabella Collins.
Temecula Mayor ProTem and Temecula Community Services President James ‘Stew’ Stewart stated, “The mural is amazingly done, a true piece of art! We are so pleased to feature the work of these talented young artists.”
The students stated, “We wanted the mural to honor César Chávez’ legacy, so we chose two main elements to feature as the focal points of the piece: Chávez himself and the United Farm Workers flag. Chávez is depicted as overlooking farm fields, with some workers in the distance, symbolizing his dedication to protecting and bettering his community. Grape vines frame the scene to represent The Delano Grape Strike, a nonviolent labor strike which Chávez led.”
The mural is now displayed in Sam Hicks Monument Park. The museum will also celebrate César Chávez through facts and free crafts in the museums Art and Education Room. All are welcome! The Temecula Valley Museum is in Old Town Temecula at 28314 Mercedes Street, Temecula, CA 92590. For more information, please visit TemeculaValleyMuseum.org or call (951) 694-6450.
About César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was born on March 31, 1927, to a Mexican American family in Yuma, Arizona. He spent his early years at a farm where his mother worked as a part-time laborer. As the Great Depression periled the states in the late 1930s, Chávez’s family lost their homestead to foreclosure. Now a nomad in their own country, his family moved to California in search of a livelihood. The migration had a grave impact on Chávez, who dropped out of school soon after and began working in the fields. In 1946, he joined the navy and served for two years. After his discharge, he rejoined farm work, got married, and settled in Delano, California. Chávez spent the next decade of his life fighting against racial and economic discrimination. He encouraged his community members to participate in democracy and led hundreds of voter registration drives. He later became the national director of Community Service Organization, a group that helped laborers register to vote.
After a dispute within the organization, Chávez resigned from his post in 1962 and joined hands with Dolores Huerta. Together, they founded the National Farm Workers Association. The NFWA was under the leadership of César Chávez. He collaborated the Filipino farm workers union known as Delano Monongs and the Mexican Farm Workers Union in Delano, California, all of whom came together for the peaceful and effective Delano Grape Strike.
[Source: https://nationaltoday.com/cesar-chavez-day/]
