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Department of Arts & Culture: Milam Park Mural

Department of Arts & Culture: Milam Park Mural

Milam Park Mural Opportunity

The City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture has identified Milam Park (500 W. Commerce St.) as an opportunity for a public art mural project. The mural will be located on the back side of the stone bench on the east end of the park, facing Santa Rosa St. This project is funded through the 1% for Public Art as part of the 2017-2022 Bond. 

For more information about the City’s Public Art Division please visit Get Creative San Antonio.

Funding:

2017-2022 Bond Program—Streets Proposition

Current Phase:

Design

Artist:

Cristina Sosa Noriega

Artwork Type:

Mural with the theme of remembrance and reverence, honoring the diverse communities buried at the former cemeteries that are known today as Milam Park.

District & Address:

City Council District 1

Milam Park

500 W. Commerce St., San Antonio, Texas, 78207

Map:

This photo shows a map of Milam Park. A red rectangle indicates the project site location at 500 W. Commerce St.

Project Manager:

For more information on this project, please contact:

Thu Nguyen, Public Art Project Manager

Office: 210-207-6963

Email: thu.nguyen@sanantonio.gov

The tabs on this page will keep you updated on the project and can help give more insight into how the process develops. Be sure to check back periodically for updates as the project progresses! 

Project Overview

All Public Art Projects managed by the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture follow a comprehensive process. The Public Art Process includes six major checkpoints, in which we check in with the community and stakeholders for updates and feedback from beginning to end. Milestones with an asterisk indicate required approvals by our Public Art Committee and San Antonio Arts Commission. On average, a project can be completed in up to 24 months. 

Illustration of the major check points of the Public Art Process

 

Project Overview:

Beneath the surface of what is known today as Milam Park and the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, ancestors of some of the earliest communities in San Antonio are interred. These grounds were once the second Campo Santo of San Fernando Church, an early Catholic Cemetery, and an early city cemetery. The people interred here came from a variety of social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds—from Native Americans to the city’s first soldiers and settlers, to Canary Islanders and participants from various military engagements.

Despite their diverse origins, these residents of San Antonio all endured the harsh realities of life as a frontier community. These people and their descendants influenced the development of the city and continue to contribute and serve the community in many ways. Those buried at Milam Park are a reminder of the collective effort that formed the very heart and foundation of the City of San Antonio.

Public Art Project locations must gain approval from the San Antonio Art’s Commission’s Public Art Committee before the project can continue. This project gained approval on from the Public Art Committee on August 2, 2022.

If a project is in a park or historic district/location it must gain approval from the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation’s Historic Design Review Commission. This project gained approval from the Historic Design Review Commission on May 17, 2023. 

Project Location:

The mural will be located on the back side of the stone bench on the east end of the park, facing Santa Rosa St.

Project location photo taken Summer 2022.

This photo shows the proposed mural site, on the back side of the bench on the eastern end of Milam Park. There is a red rectangle showing the mural’s location.

This video is a recording of the virtual meeting which took place on March 14, 2023. 

MAR 14
Tue, Mar 14 2023 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

The Department of Arts & Culture wants to hear from you! As we plan for our Public Art project at Milam Park, we need your input to determine the theme and inspiration for the artwork. Please join us virtually for this community conversation.

To register for this virtual event please click here.

ACCESS STATEMENT
The City of San Antonio ensures meaningful access to City meetings, programs and services by reasonably providing: translation and interpretation, materials in alternate formats, and other accommodations upon request. To request these services call (210) 206 ARTS or Relay Texas 711 or by requesting these services online at https://www.sanantonio.gov/gpa/LanguageServices. Providing at least 72 hours’ notice will help to ensure availability.