Colorado’s Chicano Murals Among America’s Most Endangered Historic Places
The street art and murals that adorn Colorado buildings are spectacular, but one collection of murals is under threat of being lost forever.
According to a press release from History Colorado, community murals across the state of Colorado created by Chicano artists have been listed on America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2022.
Why Are Colorado Chicano Murals At Risk?
More and more neighborhoods that were once adorned with amazing and vibrant Chicano murals are being gentrified, erasing pieces of art that hold Chicano history.
Not only are these beautiful pieces of art being erased by people, but by the environment as well. Colorado's dry and oftentimes extreme weather is deteriorating the murals as time passes.
What Do Colorado Chicano Murals Represent?
Colorado Chicano murals represent the rich culture, contributions, and identity of Hispanics in the region by illustrating our history with art.
National Trust Chief Preservation Officer Katherine Malone-France explains that:
These murals are enduring artistic expressions of cultural identity and are powerful representations of history, creativity, and pride.
These murals should be recognized as significant contributions to our American cultural landscape that help ensure that our country’s full story is told.
How Do We Save Colorado Chicano Murals?
History has oftentimes been whitewashed to appease those that have appeared on the wrong side of it, but of course, therein lies the problem.
Without an accurate representation of what really happened and the effects of key historic events, we cannot properly learn from the past.
We must promote, protect, and preserve these Chicano murals so that this important Hispanic history lives on.
The Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado Project is working on, "the restoration of white-washed murals to providing public mural tours and working with K-12 teachers to develop related educational materials."
Now that the Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado project has been successful in nominating Colorado Chicano Murals to the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, we can hopefully save these endangered pieces of art and history.