Joe Lopez
Medium: Digital image transfer on ceramic tile
Dimensions: 8’H x 50’W
Locations: Between Travis Street and Houston Street
About the Artist: Lopez studied at the Witte Museum Art School, La Villita School of Art, the San Antonio School of Art, and the McNay Art Institute. Lopez also studied with legendary watercolor artists Warren Hunter and Finis Collins. A leader in the Chicano Art Movement, Lopez is known as an artist who paints the simple way of life lived by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans throughout the United States. Lopez is inspired by San Antonio artist, Jesse Trevino, who also paints with one hand.
In 1949, the Alameda Theater was a cultural hub for the Spanish-speaking community in San Antonio. An escape from the stress and hardships of the everyday, the Alameda provided entertainment in a space specifically designed for the Latino community with Spanish films and performing arts. This mural captures the vibrant community that once enlivened the Alameda Theater and depicts the theater as “El Corazón,” the heart, of downtown San Antonio.
