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"FEAR NO ART"
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 2003 NIGHT IN
OLD SAN ANTONIO POSTER?
ALL DOLLED UP & READY TO GO TO A NIGHT IN OLD
SAN ANTONIO
The San Antonio Conservation
Society commissioned Sara Eyestone to create a last minute 2003 Night In Old
San Antonio Poster. The artist never dreamed the project of painting her
Mexican dolls would become the most controversial piece of public art in her
40-year career.
"I designed the 2003 NIOSA poster before I created the painting. I hoped it
would appeal to parents and grandparents for their children and at the same
time support our Conservation Society. I was contracted to paint my personal
collection of festive Mexican paper mache party dolls. These dolls have a
colorful history. Children have treasured and cherished them for generations
while ‘floosies’ or ‘putas’ were known to have used party dolls in their
windows. This became a tremendous concern for the Conservation Society once
the project was well under way," Sara Eyestone said.
"I painted a party doll ‘family’ under a lavendar, star-lit sky. A
gingerbread roofline from La Villita served as a canopy above the
grandmother, two tias, four cousins and their toys, all dolled up and ready
to go to a night in old San Antonio. I intentionally painted their
innocence. . . . .It was important to me that the word ‘doll’ appear in the
title and on the front of the poster so that no one would think, even for a
moment, that these dolls were actually children. I am known for my family
drawings and painted portraits and wanted no confusion."
When the art work was finished and the artist was at press with the poster,
the fifty-two person San Antonio Conservation Society Board voted to cancel
the project. When Sara Eyestone is asked for an explanation, she refers to
the red stars in her journal. They indicate ridiculous requests from some of
the members of the board and tell Sara Eyestone’s story of the 2003 Night in
Old San Antonio Poster-That-Never-Was.
We just love your ‘Party Doll’ ideas, Sara, but would you do me
a personal favor when you create the original? Don’t use yellow.
We realize these party dolls have been decorated this way for
generations, but several of our board members wonder if you could paint more
clothes on them.
Some of the ladies on the advisory board shuddered when you referred to
NIOSA as San Antonio’s biggest Fiesta ‘drunk-fest’. Even though it is, we
are
Really trying to promote family fun and play down the drinking. We are even
using smaller cups!
Do you realize that two of these dolls are hanging on the wall of the
men’s room at Rosarios?!. . .We have to protect our reputation. People in
this town are just looking for things to criticize us about.
Since The Conservation Society also represents San Antonio’s German
heritage, one of the board members wondered if Sara Eyestone could maybe
add a little German costume with a skirt and a hat on the Mexican doll in
the
yellow. . .the one that is sitting down with her legs apart.
Since it is too late to start over with a different subject, the board wants
you to eliminate the ‘Party Doll’ title from the front of the poster. ‘Party
Dolls’
a promiscuous connotation. Please call it something else.
We will not print this poster if you do not remove the new title that
says, ‘All Dolled Up and Ready to Go to a Night in Old San Antonio’.
Some of our board members think that ‘All Dolled Up’ is low class. Well at
least it is low class back East!
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sara Eyestone is known for her colorful paintings of elegant bouquets and
sensitive portraits. Her original oil paintings are created for private
collectors on commission and then published as international art posters,
calendars, and Caspari note cards that are sold world-wide. She has been in
San Antonio for seven years, and copies of her paintings have graced
invitations of most of our city’s charity galas. Her series of San Antonio
Roses graces the lobbies of the new St. Lukes Baptist Women’s Hospital. Her
purple iris titled "Amythist" is beautiful in the lobby of The Health
Science Center. The artist’s Gramoosita Rosita cow was a CowParade Diva on
Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio. Rosie is now beautifully pictured
on page 38 of the CowParade book. Sara Eyestone is currently planning an
exhibition of some of her Texas paintings at the Art Center in Rockport,
Texas in April 2004. She is also creating a signature collection of fine
silk scarves drawn from her paintings. She is in the process of creating
limited editions of her Party Doll design.
Sara Eyestone is available for interviews, for bookings contact Joshua
Eyestone at 210-860-2028 or Sara Eyestone through her San Antonio office
210-281-1670.
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