http://youtu.be/l_3PzU01g3M
It’s hard to travel around Las Cruces without noticing the many murals that are meant to make a statement, beautify an area, or teach a lesson. One project is looking to develop a walking tour to showcase the different murals around the city.
As part of what started as a Public History class project, students at NMSU are documenting every mural in Las Cruces. Norma Hartell, a graduate student in the Anthropology program at NMSU says the project is helpful for people that live in the community as well as tourists.
“Especially since the Organ Mountains got designated as a National Monument,” Hartell said. “We’re starting to see a lot of people come into Las Cruces, a lot of visitors, so I feel like it’s a good time to also highlight the arts in Las Cruces.”
Local artist Meg Freyermouth began working with the project because she saw it as a way to help make Las Cruces become a tourist destination for the art community.
“I want this to help highlight the arts here,” Freyermouth said. “And that art is an important part of our community, and it’s growing, and we have a lot of unique, diverse artists working here.”
Public History Director and Professor at NMSU, Dr. Peter Kopp, says murals can provide important information about the history of an area.
“The art particularly in the murals,” Kopp said. “It’s based in the unique history and culture of the region. And so by documenting all these murals, we get a sense of how people think about this place, think about the past. Think about their story, think about how their families story integrate into the fabric of this place like the murals do.”
He says murals in Las Cruces are different then what you may see in other cities.
“One of the interesting things in this town compared to other towns murals,” Kopp said. “Is there isn’t as much politically driven in the Chicano art movement. There’s not as much of that here as in other places. Here murals are used to beautify areas, they are used to, there is a whole series of restore the Rio Grande Murals that are used to make environmental statements, and so I think there is a big diversity about how artists are expressing their meaning in this place, in this city.”
Artist Meg Freyermouth says many of the older murals show that people really cared about certain places and areas.
“The murals in these poorer neighborhoods,” Freyermouth said. “That were used to beautify the space, and some of them are falling apart, and maybe the highest quality paint wasn’t used, and they’re peeling.”
Dr. Kopp says after they complete the database of murals, they want to be able to continue to add to it.
They will then be able to use that database to create a self-guided tour for people who want to learn more about the murals around the city. Norma Hartell says they need the public’s help to locate the murals and learn the stories behind them.
If you know a mural that should be included in the project, or a story behind a mural you can visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/muralsoflascruces.
