Iconic 'Chicano Gothic' Mural In Orange County To Be Preserved

The iconic “Chicano Gothic” mural in Santa Ana will be preserved after community members and artists raised concerns over the erasure of the historical artwork as the city moves to redesign the Memorial Park Pool complex where the mural is housed.

The announcement was made last week by the city of Santa Ana, which said the mural will be saved as part of the city’s $25 million renovation project to turn Memorial Park Pool into an aquatics center.

"The city’s goal was always to keep the mural, if possible, following public input received during the community planning workshops for the pool project and from the arts community," the city said in a statement.

The city added that the aquatics center is still in the design phase with plans to start construction this year.

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The importance of "Chicano Gothic"

"Chicano Gothic" was painted in 1987 by Emigdio Vásquez, a California-based painter who grew up in Orange. Vásquez painted around 30 murals throughout Orange County including for the cities of Santa Ana, Orange, and Anaheim.

The mural’s title is a play on the famous 1930 American Gothic painting by Grant Wood. Vásquez’s rendition similarly features a farmer and his wife, but it also depicts a man working in an orange grove, a young man holding a hammer, and rows of crops in the background being tended by field workers.

The Memorial Park Pool mural includes many of the themes inherent to Vásquez’s work. His murals showed the day-to-day lives and culture of Mexican-Americans living in Orange County, mainly from the working-class.

The artist's importance in OC

Vásquez, who died in 2014, is considered the “godfather” of Chicano art and a seminal art figure for Orange County. He founded the Orange County Latino Artists Network, an organization dedicated to Latino art. His works have been featured at the Bowers Museum as an artist-in-residence.

But his biggest canvas was always the streets of Orange County. He painted at least 30 murals on buildings, inside schools and restaurants and at parks in central OC. 

Through the efforts of his children and community members, his works have been restored and preserved as historical pieces of Orange County’s Chicano heritage.

How to visit

Location: 2102 S Flower St, Santa Ana