Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Presents 'The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth'

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center presents The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth, a group exhibition of more than 40 artworks by 26 select San Antonio-based artists who are countering the mainstream myths of the Alamo's iconic status through their traditional and non-traditional paintings, sculptures, and installation work. The Other Side of the Alamo is curated by art historian, curator and cultural worker, Ruben C. Cordova, Ph.D.

The Alamo, a former Spanish mission and a premiere tourist attraction located in downtown San Antonio is a historic icon recognizable worldwide and synonymous with the events of the Texas Revolution. Yet the Alamo, like the people of South Texas and the US/Mexico border, is complex and multi-faceted. Well known narratives, historical accounts, and folk-legends only paint a partial picture of what the Alamo represents to millions of Mexican-Americans, Chicanos, and Tejanos here in Texas and beyond.

"The Alamo is commonly touted as the 'Cradle of Texas Liberty,'" notes Cordova, "but that appellation overlooks the fact that its legacy has been to subvert the liberty of people of color. The powerful and provocative works in this exhibition address these suppressed narratives."

"The Guadalupe continues to provide a public platform to artists who question the mainstream narrative of our city," said Cristina Ballí, Executive Director, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. "Their interpretation of our community's history is essential, especially in todays politically charged climate."

The 26 participating artists are:

Verónica Castillo Salas
Mel Casas
Jesse Treviño
Cesar Martinez
Rudy Treviño
Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez
Felipe Reyes
Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz
Joe de la Cruz
Kathy Vargas
Rolando Briseño
Laura Varela
Franco Mondini-Ruiz

Enrique Martinez
Albert Alvarez
Adan Hernandez
Ed Saavedra
Daniela Riojas
Mari Hernandez
Kristel Orta-Puente
Ruben Luna
Luis Valderas
Andy Benavides
Raul Servin
Jose Esquivel
Roberto Jose Gonzalez

The exhibition opens February 23, the anniversary of the beginning of the siege of the Alamo, and concludes July 20, 2018. A major symposium and book signing, which will include the exhibition catalog and other topical publications, will take place around Juneteenth (June 19), the holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865.

The Galería Guadalupe is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Admission is free. For appointments & group tours please schedule at least 48 hours in advance via email atinfo@guadalupeculturalarts.org or 210.271.3151.

This exhibition is funded in part by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture, and the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Image: Ángel Rodriguez-Díaz, Antifaz: Forget The Alamo. Yellow Rose, July 2004, acrylic and oil on canvas, 39 ½ x 60 inches, collection of the artist.