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Performing Arts Inspire Murals Around Tobin Center Construction

The walls surrounding the Tobin Center construction site are now adorned with paintings created by SAISD students to serve as a tribute to the vision of the performing arts center as construction continues.

Omar Leos, the district’s visual and theater arts coordinator, said 280 students helped design 36 4 ft. by 4 ft. panels that now line the construction zone

"Instead of having just a regular fence blocking the construction site, there’ll be public art displayed by students of San Antonio ISD," Leos said.

The students were asked to create a scene of what the performing arts means to them. Emily Brieno, a Harris Middle School student, designed one of the panels with three of her classmates.

"I created a scene of the theater arts so I had a dancer, an actor, and someone playing the violin because I play the violin myself," Brieno said.

SAISD encompasses all of downtown, and trustee Olga Hernandez said she’s happy to see the student’s talents displayed for visitors and locals.

%22We%27re%20building%20this%20for%20the%20youth%20of%20San%20Antonio%2C%20and%20for%20our%20future%20of%20tomorrow.%22

"We have very talented students, we have very talented employees to help the students of course," Hernandez said. "It’s inner city but we’ve got great talent. That has nothing to do with what they can do and what goals they set for themselves."

Bruce Bugg, who is the chair of the Bexar County Performing Arts Foundation, said the mural is an early demonstration of what the Tobin Center is meant to provide for San Antonio.  

"It's the promise of 'we're building this for the youth of San Antonio and for our future of tomorrow,'" he said.

Through the remainder of the center’s construction, the foundation plans on doing other arts programs with districts throughout the city. 

Joey Palacios can be reached atJoey@TPR.org and on Twitter at @Joeycules