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New Chicano Park Museum
By Marlena Krcelich
September/October 2019
 An artist's depiction of the future Chicano Museum and Cultural Center on National Avenue, next to Chicano Park (beneath the freeway ramps). Courtesy The Sun |
Barrio Logan, San Diego's oldest Mexican-American neighborhood, is planning a new museum and cultural center focusing on the historic creation of Chicano Park and cultures it commemorates. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2017, Chicano Park is home to the world's largest concentration of Chicano murals and is a symbol of pride, self-determination, and social activism.
The new Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (CPMCC) will pay tribute to hundreds of men, women, and children who physically blocked a California Highway Patrol station from occupying land they wanted for a park in 1970 and, by now, several generations of artists. The improbable park site beneath massive freeway ramps pulses with colorful political, religious, and historic murals. Like the artworks, the museum and cultural center on National Avenue will convey the history, accomplishments, and essence of the neighborhood and regional Chicano, Mexican-American and indigenous cultures.
On July 31, San Diego Councilwoman Vivian Moreno celebrated her birthday by hosting a fundraiser for CPMCC at Iron First Brewery, directly adjacent to Chicano Park. Read more about CPMCC plans HERE.
Moreno emphasized the importance of preserving cultural heritage sites, like Chicano Park, that bring communities together and attract a broader public. She also honored Josephine Talamantez, a well-known leader of the Chicano Park Steering Committee, who is also instrumental in developing the museum. Talamantez said the center will be a symbol of diversity, open for everyone to enjoy and take part in, from its exhibits and classes to the parklike space atop the roof. (In 2013, SOHO presented Josephine and the steering committee with a Lifetime Achievement Award in the People in Preservation Awards.)
Until the 11,000-square-foot center is built, you can visit a virtual museum with a wealth of history and resources HERE In addition, the University of San Diego is partnering with the Chicano Park Steering Committee and the CPMCC to create the Turning Wheel Project in a mobile classroom teaching about the importance and contributions of Chicano Park to our region. Learn more about the Turning Wheel Project.
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