Concerning the Art in Transit project, I thought I would keep a journal of my thoughts and ideas. After reading the prospectus for the project I spent a few days researching hispanic figures in the civil rights movement. The Flint Arts Council provided me a list. Of all the people on the list I like Dr. Hector Perez Garcia the best. First of all I was drawn to his name…not that his surname was Perez, but that his name is Hector Garcia. It is also the name of one of my favorite uncles who past away this past year from cancer. Both Dr. Garcia and my uncle lived in Corpus Christi, TX. After reading about Dr. Garcia I was 100% certain about my decision to portray him in stained glass. That’s because Dr. Garcia’s parents and many hispanic families I know, including my own, believed education to be the key to success in the United States.
My first sketch before I met with Pat Deere was a representation of Felix Longoria, the Mexican-American soldier who was killed in the Philippines and later denied burial in Three Rivers, Texas because “the whites wouldnt like it”. Dr. Garcia petitioned then Senator, Lyndon B. Johnson to redress the issue. Johnson secured Longoria’s burial in the Arlington National Cemetary and became the first Mexican American to be buried there. This sketch only represents about 1/7th of the window and has been revised since it was created last week.
The Heron 