San Antonio Muralist David Blancas Hosts Bimonthly Videos to Bring Culture into Quarantine

Blancas' mural "La Música de San Anto," located at 1303 W Commerce - Flickr / elnina
Flickr / elnina
Blancas' mural "La Música de San Anto," located at 1303 W Commerce
Local muralist David Blancas is taking the mission of public art online using the appeal of one of his works in particular: La Música de San Anto.

Starting Friday, Blancas will host a bimonthly series of videos exploring the history of the work and its restoration, as well as "paint alongs" and other family-friendly activities. This initiative is part of a fundraising campaign by nonprofit Westside Development Corporation to support community arts programming during the coronavirus shutdown.

“I’m humbled to partner with the Westside Development Corporation in bringing this mural to light and telling stories to connect families with San Antonio from the comfort of their home," Blancas said in a press release.

Commissioned by San Anto Cultural Arts, the mural depicts a fictional generation-spanning concert performed by the city's legendary local musicians. Though Blancas only completed the project in 2009, ten years later its vibrant colors had already faded considerably, leading to the launch of the La Música de San Anto Mural Restoration Project in 2019.

The 20-30 minute episodes will be filmed at Blancas' studio, where he is making textile panels that will be glued to the mural as part of its restoration. He'll host virtual tours of the mural as well as Q&A sessions, and teach viewers about the music of San Antonio.

Free, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Facebook, westsidedevcorp.com.

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