Blackwell School (2019)

This project activated the image and oral history archives of the Blackwell School across thirteen public locations in Marfa, Texas. The Blackwell School served as the segregated elementary school for the Hispanic population of Marfa from the 1890s until 1965. From Spring 2019 -Spring 2020, mural size images were hung on buildings across Marfa and were accompanied by audio excerpts accessible via mobile devices (link to audio). A 20-page newspaper about the school was distributed at many cultural and arts institutions in the region and around the state. The project serves as an invitation for visitors to engage with Marfa's history and for community members to add to the existing archive housed at the historical Blackwell School site.


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Collaborators

Blackwell School Alliance board members (Betty Nuñez, Mario Rivera, Lionel Salgado, Jessi Silva, Michael Wallens, David Walstrom, Kathleen Walstrom, and Gretel Enck), Mark Menjivar, Sarah Vasquez, Elise Pepple, Gabriela Carballo, Los Texas Wranglers, Lionel Salgado, Betty Aguirre, Lourdes Aguirre, Carmen Espinoza, Lupe Mendias, the City of Marfa, and the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation.