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It’s kind of like a new local version of the iconic art cows, but with a religious twist. Pews from the razed Jerusalem Presbyterian Church
were donated to the Westside Development Corp., and the nonprofit put out an open call for artists interested in transforming the well-worn benches into works of functional art to raise money for the group.
“Before we knew it, we had a good dozen or so pews being worked on throughout the community,” said Leonard B. Rodriguez, president and CEO of the organization, which has a mission to stimulate economic development, education opportunities and jobs on the West Side.
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“Westside Pews” is a project to raise scholarship funds for para-professionals to become certified teachers, support local artists and promote public art, Rodriguez said. The pews are not for sale. Rather individuals or businesses who make the suggested donation — from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on the piece — receive one as a gift. The dollar amount includes an artist fee.
Revamped in a range of styles, the 11-foot pews are currently on display at Galería 237 at Alamo Colleges’ Westside Education and Training Center, 563 SW 40th Street, but the pews are on display online at westsidedevcorp.com.
Oscar Felan, an artist who came into contact with the WDC through his work in real estate, was among the first to sign on for the project. Titled “Westside” the artist’s piece features graffiti-art style imagery that spills across the back and seat. Among the icons and shapes, there’s a rooster, a beer can, an eye, a peace sign and a star. Text proclaims “Soy del Wesso.” “El Wesso” is a slang term used by community members to refer to the West Side.
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Felan describes the imagery as a “mind’s eye design.” The icons represent “thoughts that are in one’s mind and the reason they’re all so close together in the design is basically it’s all jumbled in your mind,” he said. “One thing flows into another and there’s really no in-between.”
Felan usually works in oil pastels on plywood, so when he found out about the project “I was thinking ‘It’s right up my alley,’” he said. Before he began on the design, Felan sanded and stained the bench. When the drawing was complete, he applied a coat of polyurethane to make it durable. Felan enjoyed the project so much, he agreed to take on two more pews — a pair of two-seaters he is currently working on in his garage.
Roy Villarreal, a carpenter and self-taught artist, chose to “keep the church” in his project, embellishing his pew with crosses made out of ornate wood trim Safirbet and covering the back with mosaic tile that evokes stained glass windows. He put a black crushed velvet cushion on the seat, but the real surprise comes from below. Villarreal attached orange and yellow lights to the underside of the pew, so it casts a glow on the floor. The idea was to make the piece stand out in a dimly lit room, but he realizes the fiery-looking hues may appear to have a different significance.
“It kind of looks like if you’re sitting on the bench, you’re praying and the bottom is hell,” he joked. “Pray harder so you won’t go down there!”
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Ivan Ramos, a sophomore at Brackenridge High School, got involved in the project through San Anto Cultural Arts. He was working on one of the West Side art organization’s murals when he was approached by interim director Adriana Garcia about doing a pew. After brainstorming ideas, Ramos decided to depict one of his idols on the bench: Tejano singer Selena.
“The reason why I chose Selena was I started to really get into her music about two years ago, and when I did, I started to learn more Spanish, get more into my cultural roots, and it made me proud to be a Mexican-American,” said Ramos, 16.
The singer is depicted in various outfits and poses on the bench, a flurry of rose petals around her. An inscription on the seat reads “In Loving Memory of Selena.” This is Ramos’ biggest art project to date.
“I usually do drawings, but this is one I’m really proud of,” he said.
The WDC plans to keep the pews on display at WETC through May. Those that are not given to donors may ultimately be auctioned off, Rodriguez said.
“They’re really amazing, functional works of art that are part of San Antonio’s West Side history and culture,” he said. “I think it’s one way of us just showing how important the cultural arts are here in San Antonio, especially in our West Side community.”
The Westside Development Corporation is at 630 SW 41st Street, 210-501-0192, westsidedevcorp.com.
lsilva@express-news.net
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