Organized by the Chicano Park Steering Committee
Thank you to all the
volunteers, performers, speakers, lowriders and all the beautiful gente
who came out to enjoy the 43rd annual Chicano Park Day celebration! We look forward to seeing you all at the 44th celebration of Chicano Park in April 2014.
The 43rd celebration of Chicano Park took place on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 10
am to 5 pm in historic Chicano Park, located in the Barrio Logan
community, south of downtown San Diego, under the San Diego-Coronado
bridge. This family event is always free and open to the public. The theme for the the 43rd celebration was "Chicano Park: Aztlan's Jewel & A National Chicano Treasure." The day's events included traditional music and dance, many live bands, speakers, lowrider car show, vendor booths, kids arts workshops, and keynote address by Josie Talamantez. In case you didn't pick up a program or missed hearing Josie speak at the celebration, read her article, "Chicano Park and the Chicano Park Monumental Murals National Treasures."
 The Chicano Park Steering Committee is on Facebook.
Students Document Chicano Park History
Last year, Dr. Alberto Pulido's students at USD, in consultation with the Chicano
Park Steering Committee, worked to update documentation of the murals at Chicano Park. The students worked diligently to re-create/update the Chicano Park mural map
and have produced a gorgeous publication. A big thank you to the students!
Now a revised Chicano Park Murals Documentation Project publication (2013) is available on
blurb.com. This revised book includes images of all the restored murals, along with information on the original artists involved in the restoration. At the front of the book is an easy-to-read map of all the murals and their location in the park. You can preview the entire book at: http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/3934288 The hardcover book is $54.21 plus shipping costs.
A softcover version of the book is available for $20 from Dr. Pulido (apulido@sandiego.edu) or stop by Back from Tomboctou, 3564 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116 (ph 619-282-8708), or at the monthly CPSC meeting and/or contact the CPSC at cpscchicanopark@sbcglobal.net
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A group of USD students, under the
guidance of Professor Alberto Pulido, volunteered to be a part of the
first Chicano Park-University of San Diego Documentation Project from
January to May 2011.
Through the collection of oral histories,
students documented the history of Chicano Park, Chicano/a history, and
five unique aspects of Chicano/a cultural expression that emerged as a
result of the establishment of Chicano Park. The five cultural
expressions captured by this year's project are:
- Chicano Art as seen in the public and political biography of Victor Ochoa.
- Chicano Music as seen through the life of Ramon 'Chunky' Sanchez.
- Community Organizing (Chicano Park Steering Committee) as seen through the life of Tommie Camarillo.
- Danzantes (indigenous dance) as seen in the life of Rosa Olga Navarro.
- Chicano Car Culture (low riders) as lived and experienced by Rigo Reyes.
Chicano Park Mural Restoration Project
The Chicano Park Mural Restoration Project was completed in August 2012. CalTrans announced the completion of the project on August 21, 2012. More news coverage here.
For
articles, photos and videos of the restored murals, click here or go to
the 'Murals' and 'Press' links at the top of the page.
Thank you to all who joined us on Saturday, August 25, 2012 to celebrate the newly restored/revitalized murals. The
festivities began with the blessing of all the newly-restored
murals by numerous Danza Azteca groups including Danza Azteca Calpulli
Mexihca, Danza Mexi'coyotl, Toltecas en Aztlan,
Danza Atlachinole, Danza Coatlicue Chemilitzli and Danza Quetzalhuzlin.
In addition, Agua Dulce also performed and artists had their art on display.
Awards: On
September 20, 2012, the Chicano Park Steering Committee, along with
CalTrans and Ghiradelli received the Rosa Parks Excellence in Diversity
award at the Women's Transportation Seminar Annual Awards celebration.
On October 11, 2012, the Chicano Park Mural Restoration Project received the "Grand Orchid" award at the 2012 Orchids & Onions Awards Ceremony held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla.
Josie
Talamantez & Chicano Park Steering Committee have also been selected as a recipient of a
2013 People in Preservation Award by the Save Our Heritge Organisation (SOHO).
The 31st annual awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2013, from
6-9pm at Pt. Loma Assembly.
National Register of Historic Places: Chicano Park has been listed on the California Register of Historical Resources since 1997. The
nomination of Chicano Park and the Chicano Park Monumental Murals for
the National Register was approved by the California State Historical Resources
Commission at their quarterly meeting on Friday,
November 9, 2012. After the
nomination was approved by the California State Historical Resources
Commission,
it was forwarded for consideration on the National Register of Historic
Places. Chicano Park was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2013. The National Register focuses on
buildings and structures, so the uniqueness of Chicano Park would set a different kind of
precedent for the National Trust. Mil gracias to Josie Talamantez for her dedicated, diligent work behalf of the Chicano Park Steering Committee in this endeavor.
To read the approved nomination registration form, go to http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/weekly_features/2013/CA_12001192.pdf
 Chicano Park was founded on April 22, 1970 when the community of Barrio Logan and Chicano movement activists joined forces to protest the construction of a Highway Patrol station on the present site of the park. The Highway Patrol office was at the time the final insult to a community that had already been degraded by the demolition of hundreds of homes to make way for Interstate 5, the Coronado Bridge, the placement of toxic industries and junkyards, lack of community facilities, proper schools, jobs, social or medical services.
Protesters led by the Brown Berets, community activists, artists, M.E.Ch.A. and others took over the site and faced police and bulldozers for days while negotiations took place that resulted in the land being given over for a community park. In the following days and months similar actions by the same groups led to the forming of a Chicano Free Clinic, now known as the Logan Heights Family Health Center, and the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.
The struggle for Chicano Park came to symbolize the Chicano Mexicano people's struggle for self-determination and self-empowerment. The murals in the park painted by Chicano artists such as Victor Ochoa, Mario Torero, Yolanda Lopez, José Montoya, Sal Barajas, Juanishi Orosco, Berenice Badillo, Carmen Linares and many others portray the social, political and cultural issues that form the struggle for the liberation of Chicano Mexicanos.
Every year the community of Barrio Logan, the greater community of San Diego and people throughout the Southwest and across the US come together to celebrate the takeover of Chicano Park.
  
Click Here To download the Chicano Park Brochure (updated 2010)
Click Here to download the 2010 Chicano Park Day poster
Click Here To see a slideshow from the 2006 Chicano Park Day
Click Here To see a video (pt.1) of the 2010 Chicano Park Day by Rico Bueno
Click Here To see a video (pt.2) of the 2010 Chicano Park Day by Rico Bueno
Click Here To see a video from the 2010 Chicano Park Day
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