Village Savant // your guide to a creative existence

06/16/2004 Entry: "Homage"

Special thanks goes out to Chris Duncan and Paul Urich for the beautiful mural they left behind in San Jose this weekend. "Homage" can be seen by all at the corner of Santa Clara and Fourth Streets.

Anno Domini also wishes to thank Kari, Justin, Griffin, Brett and Troy, all friends that volunteered to work beside us all weekend. Peace.

"Homage" was commissioned by the San Jose Downtown Association. Thank you.

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New Downtown Mural Depicts Community, New Beginnings and Activism

First of many murals planned for city's core area

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Two Bay Area Artists pay tribute to San Jose's cultural heritage through an inspiring reflection on community, new beginnings and activism

The 35'x40' mural "Homage" off East Santa Clara Street at Fourth Street, depicts silhouettes of 1968 Olympic Gold and Bronze medalists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, as they stood in their historic public gesture before the eyes of the world. Smith and Carlos used the victory stand to protest the injustices faced by African-Americans at the time and to keep the civil rights movement in America forging ahead.

The two silhouettes are standing in a boat floating on water with the words "Thank You" on the side representing a journey of safe passage. A large color wheel emanates with the spirit of the local community behind them as do the birds which soar overhead. The flowering pods are the seeds to new beginnings.

Artists Chris Duncan and Paul Urich wanted to create a mural relevant to the distinct community that resides in the area. It's close to SJSU, there's a new City Hall rising across the street and Santa Clara Street is the life blood of the city and downtown artery.

Chris and Paul revere the two athletes as "Americans that made a huge statement through peaceful gesture and suffered devastating consequences because of it."

"The mural fits with the Downtown Association's mission to add vitality and energy to the city's core area," Knies said. (Another arts program of the Downtown Association is "Downtown Doors," which uses artwork by local high school students to beautify otherwise static utility doors off Paseo de San Antonio.)

"The mural will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people each year, most of whom do not visit art galleries or museums. We see art as a way to inspire people and to create conversations between them. It opens discussions and fosters opinions that otherwise, they may not have a chance to share," says Cherri Lakey of Two Fish Design, which curated and handled the logstics of the mural.

"We have a long standing, good relationship with the Downtown Association and the city of San Jose. We collaborated on the SharkByte Art project back in 2001, the Saturday Art Markets and currently, the Phantom Galleries project. We are all of like minds when it comes to enhancing our downtown core for it's residents, workers and tourists. You won't see this mural anywhere else in the country... it belongs to San Jose. We go to other cities to see their personality, the things that make them like nowhere else; we don't go there to see their version of Barnes and Nobles or the Gap. If we are serious about cultural tourism, we need more projects like this," says Lakey.

"We chose Paul and Chris based on their artistic style and the integrity of their work. They often speak of community and the inter-connectedness of people, nature and the world around us," says Eder. "We wanted the wall to resonate with these attributes."

Passersby over the weekend while the mural was in progress all had a positive response. One man recalled running with Tommie and John in highschool. Another young man after hearing the completed mural described by Eder remarked, "Won't that be beautiful for the children."

Chris Duncan and Paul Urich are bay area artists represented by San Jose gallery Anno Domini. They have exhibited nationally and are known for their work that incorporates the simplistic beauty of nature and community.