Paseo de Oñate and the Hunter building will receive a blast of color thanks to Moving Arts Española Director Roger Montoya and artist Alejandro Lopez.
The Española City Council unanimously granted Montoya and Lopez permission, April 8, to paint murals on the Hunter building while anchor tenant Siete del Norte waits for the state Environment Department to commence its environmental inspection.
Montoya’s Moving Arts program will be one of a handful of tenants that will occupy the former car dealership. Community development corporation Siete del Norte signed a lease to rent the city-owned building in November 2013 and will anchor the building with a food hub.
Montoya said the murals would give people a sense of progress while the bureaucratic process moves “like molasses in the arctic.”
“We see this as a seed that’s just going to germinate and spread to the pueblos and small towns and schools,” he said.
Montoya and Lopez showed the Council renderings of the proposed murals. Lopez’s images included depictions of Native American and Hispanic history and culture.
While Montoya has had trouble securing money from the city for the Hunter building in the past, he came to the meeting prepared with funding from other sources, for the art.
Montoya said he had already secured $9,000 for the murals from the New Mexico Community Foundation and Northern Rio Grande Heritage Area Executive Director Tom Romero attended the meeting to announce his organization would donate an additional $9,000 for the murals.
Montoya said during a later interview that the $18,000 in grants would go toward materials, artist stipends and youth outreach. Montoya expects the grants to cover the entirety of the project, with any money left over being used to fund other murals across the city and surrounding community.
Montoya said he needed the city to seal in some of the cracks on the Hunter building’s walls and replaster the surface for painting.
Montoya said Siete del Norte will pay for the labor and supplies used to repair the walls.
Montoya asked interim city manager Joe Duran to send a quote for the costs to Siete del Norte area manager Todd Lopez. General Services Director Juanito Maes said in a later interview that he had not put together a quote as of press time.
After multiple councilors offered to help paint the mural, the Council approved the project 7-0, with Councilor Cory Lewis absent because of the recent death of his grandfather.
While the Council didn’t appropriate any money for the murals, public art projects are often funded through the city Lodgers Tax Board.
Lucero appointed three people to the Board, with the Council unanimously approving all the nominees.
The only hold over from the previous Board was Marlo Martinez. Previous Board members Joann Casados and Pete Valdez were replaced with Tony Valerio and Angela Archuleta.
The Board’s duty is to consider applications for how to use money generated from a local tax on hotel rooms. After the Board approves a recommendation, the Council must approve the tax appropriation before it can be disbursed.