San Antonio Public Art
"La Musica de San Antonio"

Home Page    Table of Contents 1303 West Commerce Street
Artist David Blancas
2009


Center Section - San Antonio Music Legends

 
Far Left and Right Sides

                
 

 

San Antonio Express News
Musicians immortalized on West Side mural
November 22, 2009
Staff Writer: Ariel Barkhurst

(updated photos coming soon)

When drivers head toward the West Side via West Commerce Street, they won't be able to help but see a recently completed 150-foot-long neon-lit mural depicting 10 legendary San Antonio musicians jamming on drum sets and plucking guitar strings in multicolored immortality.

That's why Manny Castillo, an experimental rocker and West Side community activist who died in January, chose the location on the back of a warehouse at 1303 W. Commerce St. when he organized the mural's production in early 2008.

Castillo is depicted among the legends on the mural, “La Música de San Anto,” which received a heavily attended blessing Saturday.  Click here for entire article.


Manny Castillo (see San Anto Cultural Arts)

San Antonio Express News
January 7, 2009
Staff Writer: Elda Silva

A mural honoring San Antonio music legends was a dream come true for Manny Castillo.

“He was a huge music fan and a musician himself, so the idea of doing a mural dedicated to music legends from San Antonio was his,” said Gerardo Quetzatl Garcia, director of San Anto Cultural Arts’ community mural and public art program.

Castillo, a founder of the organization, will not be around to see it completed. He died Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer. But he will figure prominently on the mural at the foot of the Commerce Street bridge alongside the likes of Doug Sahm, Randy Garibay and Lydia Mendoza

Originally, lead artist David Blancas planned to depict Castillo, who was San Anto’s executive director, in the background of the mural, casting him as a supporting player behind some of the musicians he admired. An active member of the local music scene, Castillo played drums in various bands, most recently the experimental rock outfit Snowbyrd.  Click here for entire article.

 

 

November 22, 2009
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