"The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth"

Thanks in no small part to a seven-year master plan promising to “Reimagine the Alamo” (via preserving the Alamo Church, removing “entertainment attractions from the battlefield,” closing Alamo Street to vehicle traffic, building a museum and restoring the Alamo Cenotaph), San Antonio’s most iconic destination is a key component of cultural discourse as of late. Within the realm of visual art, the 18th-century mission is often depicted with a curious blend of reverence and humor — such as in Sala Diaz founder Alejandro Diaz’s witty neon sign declaring “I Can’t Remember the Alamo” or Gary Sweeney’s Coming Soon! — a Photoshopped image of the Alamo outfitted with a sign announcing the “Future Home [of] Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum.” Made possible by a $30,000 grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s new group show “The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth” continues this creative dialogue while taking aim at the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site from a distinct perspective. Curated by Ruben C. Cordova, the exhibition tasked more than 20 Chican@ artists with “countering the mainstream myths of the Alamo’s iconic status through their traditional and non-traditional paintings, sculptures, and installation work.” Gathering works from both well-known, established artists and the new vanguard alike (from César Martinez and Jesse Treviño to Mari Hernandez and Kristel Orta-Puente), the show seeks to highlight ways the Alamo has affected people of color by exploring “suppressed narratives” surrounding “the Mexican American War, the annexation of half of Mexico, and the spread of slavery.”