August 6, 1990 - El Paso Herald-Post

Leaders support Twelve Travelers project

The Presidential Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission in Washington has officially designated the Twelve Travelers sculpture project of El Paso as one of the few projects of worthiness in the nation.

Tom Lea, the renown writer and artist of El Paso, sent a letter to John Houser and gave his endorsement of the Twelve Travelers.

Mago Orona Gandara, muralist and artist, has given her total support to the project. Alex Apostolides, historian-writer, has strongly stated his support.

Fernando Chacon, a lawyer, has unequivocally voiced his respect for it, as have Dr. John Haddox, a University of Texas at El Paso philosophy professor and writer, and Patricia Roybal-Sutton.

Margarito Rodriguez has also gone on record. These are but a few of the many El Paso voices who have stood up to endorse the project - not only because it has been attracting attention from a national organization and from an international network of commissions in 47 other countries, but because there is a need for such a project of human and culturally-historic celebration.

Rev. Charles Polzer flew in from Tucson, Ariz., to state unreservedly that artist and sculptor John Houser's Twelve Travelers project is a designee of the coveted respect and acceptance by the C.C. Quincentenary Jubilee Commission.

Polzer sits on that commission. He spoke before the City Council and asked that El Paso live up to the verbal contract made by the Tax Increment Financing board with Houser when the travelers project was first accepted as a viable and worthy program more than two years ago.

The rousing city hall meeting spoke to human needs, with Patricia Roybal-Sutton stating that such a pu lic art project speaks volumes about history and cultural worthiness, that it can help instill pride in youth

A few hours after the meeting, I had some coffee with Roberto Barcena, and his words cut to the heart of what a city can be for its residents.

"People pay taxes," Barcena said, "in order to get services through the way their money is used."

"As a citizen, I expect more than just the basic services that meet social needs," he continued, "roads, sewers and other necessities."

"What is also expected from the city," Barcena resumed over the steaming cup of coffee, "are those vital elements which give a broader and deeper meaning to our lives."

Responding to my question as to what those elements might be, he sat back and smiled, then simply and succinctly said: "The arts." I fully agreed as I heard him out.

"Statues and monumental works help us reflect on our pasts, on the value of individual and community experiences," Barcena continued, "and we learn of the great human values of our ancestors, not just about one race or group, but about all the universal human beings who have given meaning to the world.

"I want hope, a greater sense of being alive, and such works can help create that feeling ... so that I become even more of a human being, a universal being in touch with the humanity of others," he said.

I agreed, thinking of the hope and vision which might move my, children and the children of our city to dream of greatness ... an attainable one, if only we dare to also dream and allow the arts to flourish.