Luis Jiménez's Mustang: Monumental Misreadings

Luis Jimenez9s Mustang (2008), located at Denver International Airport, was intended to be a welcoming figure as Colorado residents and visitors entered and exited the gateway to the US West. However, this particular work, along with several of Jimenez9s earlier public sculptures, prompted public rancor, controversy, and protest. Jimenez is one of the most well-known Chicano public sculptors; however, little scholarly research has been conducted to examine the way in which his work functions in and is received by visitors in the public realm. Applying Harriet F. Senie9s methodology of conducting visitor response interviews to examine Jimenez9s public sculptures aids in an understanding of why the gap between the artist9s intention and the visitor9s understanding is so pervasive. Mustang subverts traditional monuments and notions of equestrian statuary in its use of nontraditional materials and subject matter. Many visitors sense the intentionally critical and historical revisionist lens through which Jimenez created his work and therefore feel daunted by it culturally, aesthetically, and spatially. This complex reaction highlights what aspects of US culture are embraced in the public sphere and which elements have received conflicted reactions due to their subject, and the representation of ethnicity in public space. In addition, the site of Jimenez9s work forms a crucial part of the content; therefore, the negotiation of space, in which Mustang and some of Jimenez9s other sculptures are displayed, informs the debates around installing a work in the public sphere. RESUMEN Luis Jimenez9s Mustang (2008) located at Denver International Airport was intended to be a welcoming figure as Colorado residents and visitors entered and exited the gateway to the American West. However, this particular work along with several of Jimenez9s earlier public sculptures, prompted public rancor, controversy, and protest. Jimenez is one of the most well-known Chicano public sculptors; however, little scholarly research has been conducted to examine the way in which his work functions in and is received by visitors in the public realm. Applying Harriet F. Senie9s methodology of conducting visitor response interviews to examine Jimenez9s public sculptures aids in an understanding on why the gap between the artist9s intention and the visitor9s understanding is so pervasive. Mustang subverts traditional monuments and notions of equestrian statuary in its use of non-traditional materials and subject matter. Many visitors sense the intentionally critical and historical revisionist lens through which Jimenez created his work and therefore feel daunted by it culturally, aesthetically, and spatially. This complex reaction highlights what aspects of U.S. culture is embraced in the public sphere and which elements have received conflicted reactions due to their subject, and the representation of ethnicity in public space. In addition, the site of Jimenez9s work forms a crucial part of the content; therefore, the negotiation of space, in which Mustang and some of Jimenez9s other sculptures are displayed informs the debates around installing a work in the public sphere. RESUMO Mustang (2008) de Luis Jimenez, localizado no Denver International Airport, foi concebido como uma figura acolhedora para os residentes do Colorado e visitantes que passavam pela porta de entrada para o oeste americano. Entretanto, essa obra em particular, juntamente com varias das primeiras esculturas publicas de Jimenez, provocou rancor publico, controversia e protestos. Jimenez e um dos escultores publicos chicanos mais conhecidos; no entanto, pouca pesquisa academica foi conduzida para examinar a maneira pela qual seu trabalho funciona e e recebido pelos visitantes na esfera publica. A aplicacao da metodologia de Harriet F. Senie de conduzir entrevistas com visitantes para examinar as esculturas publicas de Jimenez ajuda a entender por que a lacuna entre a intencao do artista e a compreensao do visitante e tao generalizada. Mustang subverte monumentos tradicionais e nocoes de estatuaria equestre em seu uso de materiais e tematicas nao-tradicionais. Muitos visitantes percebem a lente intencionalmente revisionista critica e historicamente atraves da qual Jimenez criou seu trabalho e, assim, se sentem intimidados culturalmente, esteticamente e espacialmente. Essa complexa reacao destaca quais aspectos da cultura norte-americana sao adotados na esfera publica e quais elementos receberam reacoes conflitantes devido a sua tematica, e a representacao da etnia no espaco publico. Ademais, o local onde se situa a obra de Jimenez e parte crucial de seu conteudo; portanto, a negociacao do espaco, no qual Mustang e algumas das esculturas de Jimenez sao exibidas, informa o debate em torno da instalacao de uma obra na esfera publica.