DEPARTMENT: Department of Arts & Culture
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Debbie Racca-Sittre
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT: Accepting a Public Art Gift from Mexico City
SUMMARY:
This ordinance accepts a gift of the bronze sculpture "Alas de Mexico" from the government of Meixco City and the artist Jorge Mar?n to the City of San Antonio, in celebration of the San Antonio Tricentennial, and authorizes the initial installation costs of $15,000 to be paid from the FY 2018 Tricentennial Office budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City's Department of Arts & Culture, the International Relations Division of the Economic Development Department and Tricentennial Commission have been coordinating with Mexico City authorities since November 2015 on a gift of a public art sculpture. Originally, the offer of the gift was made during the visit by former Mayor Ivy R. Taylor to Mexico City in November 2015 as part of a cultural and trade mission organized by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, during which time an economic cooperative agreement was signed by Mexico City and San Antonio. Jorge Mar?n is one of Mexico's most influential artists and has been an active figure in the contemporary art world for the last 25 years. He began to sculpt ceramic in the early 1980s. Bronze has been his preferred material for the last ten years. His work often depicts horses, centaurs, garudas, children, madonnas, and acrobats, along with elements such as spheres, masks, arrows, boats and scales. These concepts are consistent with recurring themes such as reflection and balance. In September 2015, Jorge Mar?n's Wings of the City series was successfully shown at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens as part of a US tour organized by the Mexican Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One of the pieces exhibited was the "Alas de M?xico" which proved to be one of the most popular pieces as it promoted a high level of public engagement. In 2017, his work has toured the Orient: ...
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