“Save the Multicultural Mural and Sign the Petition”

You are invited to join Gilberto Guzman, family and friends to support saving the Multicultural Mural by signing a petition or giving a letter of support to save the Mural!

TODAY: Wednesday, August 11, 2021, 4:30 – 7:00
Tiny’s Restaurant, Early Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Gilberto will be selling and signing his “Guitarist” Poster for $30/each plus any other donations received will be used for current legal fees.

• NM Dept. of Cultural Affairs can fulfill their Mission Statement to “preserve, foster and interpret New Mexico’s diverse cultural heritage and expression for present and future generations, enhancing the quality of life and economic well-being of the state.”

Please send your contact information (name, address and phone) for the Petition or email your Letter of Support to Rick Martinez: morgmartinez@yahoo.com.

Protestors plead for state to keep mural up

Thank you to everyone who came out in support of the Multicultural mural on Saturday. We had speakers from our group as well as the Old Santa Fe Association and a local curator at the O’keeffe Museum. Despite the rain we had a good turnout with lots of enthusiasm.
We invited our city, county, and state local leaders as well as the DCA and New Mexico Museum of Art, but unfortunately none of them attended, or even responded to our email. Why are none of our elected leaders supporting the community?
Please see our GET INVOLVED page to find out how you can help.

Protestors plead for state to keep mural up

We invite you to a community gathering in solidarity & support of the mural this Saturday (5/22) @ 1pm!

See you at the mural ✊🏽

#keepsantafemulticultural

Efforts to save the Multicultural Mural have been, and continue to be, community-based. We take issue with the The Santa Fe New Mexican’s narrative that devalues the work of so many community members.

Work to bring attention to this issue goes back multiple years. There are so many individuals and organizations using whatever connections and capacity they have, publicly and privately, to save our beloved mural, everyone’s efforts are vital! Minus our leaders from city, county, and state governments who have remained silent and unsupportive, this has truly been a community movement.

Shout out to Joe Schepps for using his resources to fight to save the Multicultural Mural

Stay tuned for an event next Saturday, May 22 @ 1pm.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/businessman-makes-last-ditch-appeals-to-governor-to-save-santa-fe-railyard-mural/article_a38053f0-b32e-11eb-9045-0ba18c37e9ea.html

“A federal judge in Albuquerque has declined to issue a preliminary injunction that would halt the removal of Gilberto Guzman’s mural in downtown Santa Fe, saying the artist’s petition failed to meet the criteria for such a measure.”

Read full article here:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/federal-court-declines-to-issue-injunction-to-halt-destruction-of-guzman-mural/article_f9513e12-a38d-11eb-899a-f3f9f32cf2d1.html

Check out these two recent articles from the Albuquerque Journal, we appreciate them continuing to cover this topic…it’s not over!

‘Multicultural’ mural not dead yet
04/11/2021
https://www.abqjournal.com/2378699/multicultural-mural-not-dead-yet-ex-theres-still-hope-the-embattled-artwork-can-be-saved.html

How much would saving ‘Multicultural’ cost?
04/18/2021
https://www.abqjournal.com/2381094/how-much-would-saving-multicultural-cost-ex-we-need-to-know-the-potential-costs-and-options-for-a-restoration.html

These articles show the widespread support for the Mural as well as the nationwide problem of erasure via destroying culturally significant public art. With money set aside by a state rep. and the destruction of the mural being counter to the DCA’s stated mission of “preserving and celebrating the cultural integrity and diversity of our state”, why are they not more engaged in this conversation? Why was a cost assessment not part of their initial process in deciding the Mural would be destroyed? What data do they actually have that was used to make that decision?

Here is how you can help:
1. Share these articles with your networks
2. Please contact your state reps and Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego at the State Cultural Affairs Department, you can find more info here: https://keepsantafemulticultural.org/get-involved/

If you missed our Gentrification Walking Tour last Saturday, see below for a few photos and videos of the day. We started at the O’Gah Po’Geh Community Altar for some words about the intent of the event. Then moved on to Warehouse 21, a former youth space which is now closed and for sale by the city. We then heard a few words from Tom at El Museo, one of the few remaining community spaces downtown. After that we walked to the water tower where Hernan shared some words on his lived experience with gentrification (see video below). The tour ended at the Multi-Cultural mural where we hung a 120 ft banner that reads “Gentrification is Erasure is Gentrification…” and Dr. Alicia Inez Guzmán provided context about how the mural fits into the bigger picture of gentrification in Santa Fe and New Mexico (see video below).

For coverage of the event, check out this article in the Santa Fe New Mexican: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/dozens-rally-against-gentrification-in-santa-fe-railyard/article_7692e672-7ecd-11eb-bef9-03bb53addf1b.html

And in case you missed it, on Monday, Multi-Cultural mural artist Gilberto Guzman filed a lawsuit against the state and city regarding the destruction of the mural. Read more here: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/artist-sues-in-federal-court-to-block-destruction-of-santa-fe-mural/article_1cafc2f6-8058-11eb-b468-8bfbd8b87b22.html

Please contact Secretary of NM Department of Cultural Affairs Debra Garcia y Griego (debra.garciagriego@state.nm.us) and New Mexico Museum of Art Executive Director Mark White (marka.white@state.nm.us) to express your support for the mural! Suggested talking points are on our Get Involved page.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Join us Saturday, March 6 @ 11am for a Gentrification Walking Tour. Learn how to support our community and get involved!
Meet at the Railyard Park parking lot being SITE Santa Fe.
Parking financial assistance available.
Reminder to wear a mask 😷

The New Mexico Museum of Art and the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs are dismissing community concerns over the retirement of a beloved mural.

Please click the link for an article in Hyperallergic regarding the mural.

Last summer we met with Mark White, New Mexico Museum of Art Executive Director, via Zoom regarding the Multicultural mural. We are posting this video now because we think it is important for the community to know that they have continued to mislead and lie to us. They told us they want community involvement and we have requested a construction timeline multiple times. We were blindsided by the press release this week regarding construction beginning and the “retirement” of the Multicultural mural. The recording starts a little late into the meeting, the non-recorded beginning included introductions as well as presenting the results of the questionnaire we did. Also present at the meeting are Daniel Zillmann, NM DCA head of Marketing and Communications, as well as Cynthia Lawrence, the art conservator the state hired to review the mural.

We will be meeting at the mural tomorrow @ 11am to make our voices heard, please join us!!!!