Eliseo Art Silva Studios

Mexico underwent a radical cultural transformation at the end of its Revolution in 1920. A new relationship between art and the public was established, giving rise to art that spoke directly to the people about social justice and national life. The model galvanized artists in the United States who were seeking to break free of European aesthetic domination to create publicly significant and accessible native art. Numerous American artists traveled to Mexico, and the leading M...exican muralistsJosé Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueirosspent extended periods of time in the United States, executing murals, paintings, and prints; exhibiting their work; and interacting with local artists. With nearly 200 works by over sixty Mexican and American artists, this exhibition reorients art history by revealing the profound impact the Mexican muralists had on their counterparts in the United States during this period and the ways in which their example inspired American artists both to create epic narratives about American history and everyday life and to use their art to protest economic, social, and racial injustices. See more

Mark Twain wouldn’t be caught dead at Guantanamo. This month marks the 20th anniversary of the first Iraq bombing by U.S. forces. There are many lasting consequences of that attack; one is the Guantanamo prison. February is also the anniversary of Samuel Clemens’ first use of the pen name Mark Twain. Yes, there’s a connection.... The notorious military prison has been operating about as long as Bush, Obama, and Trump have served in the White House. The U.S. government twisted the principles of morality and international law in order to build the Guantanamo prison and keep it open. But that has only amplified the effect of prisoner suicides, kidnapping, and torture, there and at black sites around the world. Just about everything that can be said about this unholy place has already been said. But here’s a story I guarantee you haven’t heard: By the start of the 20th century, U.S. armed forces had seized Spanish colonies, including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba, for our own empire-building project on the world stage. Mark Twain was a steadfast critic of racist American adventurism. He wrote: I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land. He was especially furious at the practice of water torture, which Filipino fighters were subjected to when captured by American soldiers. Recently I was researching a related topic and came across a 2006 photo of a teacher who worked at the W.T. Sampson elementary school in Guantanamo. That’s where the children of U.S. military personnel attended classes, even as prisoners were being tortured nearby. The teacher was on stage wearing a Mark Twain costume. He was entertaining the students with some of the famous Hartford author’s writings. Is it possible that the irony of this performance escaped the scholar? He was dressed as our most famous anti-imperialist. In Cuba, a country won in the conflict with Spain. Walking distance from where human beings were being tortured. With the barbaric waterboarding method perfected by our military a century earlier. The CIA created the torture program for foreign captives after 9/11. It hired two American psychologists who were paid $80 million to provide a menu of torture techniques. The secret agency carried them out, then lied about their use. New revelations of government-sanctioned torture are still being uncovered as trials of Guantanamo prisoners continue. Mark Twain called the practice ghastly additions to our history. He and other Americans condemned the torturing of Filipinos by the awful ‘water-cure,’ for instance, to make them confess what? Truth? Or lies? History may rhyme, as the poet said, but sometimes it screams. Even the imaginative Twain would be astonished at his country’s depravity. Steve Thornton writes for ShoeleatherHistoryProject. com. His latest book is Good Trouble: A Shoeleather History of Nonviolent Direct Action (Hard Ball Press).

Very honored and excited for the rare opportunity to paint this landmark mural for the Filipino Community Village in Seattle, WA! Thanks Cindy Domingo and the entire FCV Art Committee for this great article about the art project. (The concept art of the first of four panels is the cover image for the article. This panel includes The Kingdom of Butuan, Datu Lapulapu and the Battle of Mactan, and the Triumph of Filipino Art in Madrid, Spain in 1884.)... SEATTLE Residents and visitors of the new Filipino Community Village (FCV) will soon be greeted with a one-of-a-kind, four-panel mural that depicts the history of Filipinos and Filipino Americans. Designed by well-known Filipino artist Eliseo Art Silva, the mural will reflect his life’s mission to reconcile the history of my lineage, with the history of painting. In order to achieve that, we have to tell our stories to a point that they become a protagonist of the American narrative and the key players of those stories become household names. The Filipino Community Village, originally conceived by former Filipino Community of Seattle President Alma Kern, will provide 95 units of affordable, low-income apartments for seniors and house the Innovation Learning Center focusing on STEAM educational programming for youth. The mural, entitled Ibig Naming Maitanghal sa Lupain ng Amerika, also has an English title, Philippine Seattle: We Want the Wide American Earth taken from Filipino writer Carlos Bulosan’s poem I Want the Wide American Earth.

The Color of Traditional SEA Sweets!

We are finally restoring our 25-year old Filipino mural of Los Angeles starting May 1, 2021. Thanks to a grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs LA and the Office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrel. We are searching for two mural apprentices who are great with portraits and painting calligraphy. Artists ages 18-23 are encouraged to apply! The lead artist would be vaccinated by that time and we will follow safety protocols at all times. ... #artjob #muralapprentice #unidadparkla #streetartist #eliseoartsilva