Mural installation in San Juan: Celebrating the Working Men and Women of Puerto Rico.
Artist and muralist Tom Christopher worked together with art students from Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño to create more than 4,000 square feet of murals in Bahia Plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Their ideas follow the tradition of Thomas Hart Benton, the WPA artists
and Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera who portrayed the proletarian struggle and pride of working men and women. Tom and the students developed and painted the murals in a working studio on Bahia Plaza in San Juan.
The students, all from the prestigious Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño (Plastic Arts & Design School) in San Juan, contributed to these new works.
They are on display at Paseo Caribe, an exciting new neighborhood located at the gateway to Old San Juan and just minutes from Santurce, an area known for its amazing street art.
As project visionary and leader, Tom Christopher mentored and shared his studio with the emerging artists.
The students were involved in all aspects of mural creation: they contributed ideas, helped to select colors and patterns, sketches, paint, format, and print. The murals were commissioned by CPG Real Estate, a New York-based real estate company that has expressed a commitment to supporting the people of Puerto Rico through its work on the island.
Many thanks to the overwhelmingly kind and gracious people of the island.
Christopher’s work was inspired by the Puerto Rican working class, and follows in the storied footsteps of Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, and the WPA artists. “This is a tribute to the everyday Puerto Rican,” he says. “The murals tell the story of the people who built and sustain the country’s economy. Set in the beautiful light and brilliant colors of Puerto Rico, they depict the honor and pride in work well done. From the city of San Juan to the rain forests and rural areas, the workers of Puerto Rico are celebrated in paint.” Among the mural’s many images are a sweeper at the Old San Juan capitol building, a construction crew at a housing project, a mom jogging with a baby carriage in the streets of Old San Juan, an architect, a guitar player with a tip jar, along with many other scenes of blue and white collar workers and daily life in Puerto Rico.
Christopher’s studio has been open while he and the students work, inviting the public to observe the live creation of art on a huge scale. After over a year of work, the murals are now installed. Finally, it will be possible to view Christopher’s innovative artwork in the Caribbean for the very first time.
Paseo Caribe, the host of the Tom Christopher murals, was once an abandoned area in the heart of the San Juan. Christopher’s project has made the students an integral part of a great revitalization project for the neighborhood. “Paseo Caribe is now a vibrant place where art students are expressing passion for their lives and their city,” says Christopher. “It has helped them to find beauty in the midst of crisis, to give back to their community, and to learn that hope and creativity can work hand in hand to create wonderful results. Our murals will not only add life to the spaces they occupy – they will also celebrate the virtue of the work ethic and the passion for doing work we love.”
“The citizens of Puerto Rico have an unparalleled work ethic and have managed to continue to celebrate life in the face of great challenges.” says Sam Kirschner, the CPG partner in charge of Paseo Caribe. “With Tom and the students leading the way, we want to pay homage to the working women and men of Puerto Rico. We believe they are creating a work of art and beauty that the people of Puerto Rico can take great pride in.”
