by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont’s Public Art Committee voted 5-0 Monday to select Jose Antonio Aguirre to create art for El Barrio Park. Committee Chair Douglas Pearsall called the decision “a historical night for all of us.”

The committee has been discussing the El Barrio Park art project since 2019. Monday’s decision, while long anticipated, was a foregone conclusion however as the only other artists under consideration, a team of Alba Cisneros, Athena Hahn, and Cathy Garcia, withdrew from consideration in a December 5 letter to Claremont Public Information Officer Bevin Handel.

“Following the most recent Art Committee meeting, as well as the subsequent publications in the Courier and La Raza radio interview, we feel unsafe both personally and professionally,” read the letter. “After careful consideration of the time and effort we have dedicated to this project, we have decided to withdraw our application for the El Barrio Park Art Project. This choice was not made lightly. We entered this process in good faith and with enthusiasm for contributing to the community through art. However, given the current circumstances, we believe this is the most responsible decision for our well-being and professional integrity. We appreciate the opportunity to have participated and wish the project success moving forward.”

Garcia said the decision to withdraw was prompted in part by a photo that accompanied the Courier’s November 27 story, “El Barrio Park art project moves closer to fruition,” which she said claimed appeared showed Aguirre as the perceived bid winner, and a December 5 Courier Viewpoint by Al Villaneuva, “El Barrio art project headed in wrong direction,” in which he alleged the group’s proposal was perpetuating “racist stereotypes.”

“There were harsh criticisms that we were racist and whitewashing, I mean … that’s not who we are at all and it was very hurtful,” Garcia said. “It’s almost like they had a plan to discredit us right before the final meeting because they knew when the op-ed would come out. We didn’t know that we would have to protect ourselves, so that really was, I thought, a dirty trick. They didn’t leave it up to the art committee and the people in Arbol Verde to vote. They just, you know, threw us under the bus.

The timing of it, we didn’t know we were in a battle to protect ourselves or anything. So, it was almost like they had planned a strategy at the end to discredit us and, be sure that Jose won.

“And the most important thing for me is that the Barrio gets their art project.”

Garcia also cited what she said were inflammatory social media posts by Villanueva and comments aired on the December 4 La Raza Radio program as adding to the group’s decision to withdraw.

Many expressed disappointment about the group’s withdrawal during public comment at Monday’s meeting.

“I have no problem with people using the media to advocate for Aguirre, an accomplished artist who is well qualified for the job,” said Lydia Henry. “But demeaning his competition was unnecessary, unjust, and not in the spirit of this project.”

Art committee member Miles Bennett also weighed in.

“I think the divisiveness and the things that were said about people, the hurtful things that were said about people to the point of getting them to drop out, I thought that that was really uncalled for,” Bennett said. “And I was very disturbed by that.”

Villanueva was asked to respond to the criticisms after the meeting.

“The glory goes to God, the creator,” Villanueva said. “I told Antonio when we started on the project that we don’t try to control the outcome, number one. Number two, our prayers have to be clean. Okay? That’s all I told them. I said whatever happens is not about optimism, it’s about hope. You know where we accept whatever decision is made.”

Aguirre’s project will cost $70,000 and feature an updated El Barrio Park sign, a dozen six-foot tall art pieces, and a bathroom mural.

Handel said the next step will be to draft the contract between the city and Aguirre, which will then require Claremont City Council approval.

The next Claremont Public Art Committee meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, January 12, 2026, at the Hughes Center, 1700 Danbury Rd., Claremont.