Jerry Jaramillo’s murals have been a staple in the Sunnyside neighborhood for the past 35 years, but it was the removal of one his pieces that led to his current restoration project.
His “Primavera” mural was erased at 4058 Tejon St. last year when building owner Paul Tamburello decided to remodel and take the building’s look in a new direction. However, Tamburello commissioned him to restore the “Mother Earth” mural on his building directly across the street.
Now Jaramillo and his son, professional artist Jay Michael Jaramillo, have been restoring his murals in the neighborhood and have plans for a new home for “Primavera.”
The mural, which depicted a man playing a conga drum to a woman below a rainbow full of musical notes, will be making its return on a building on the northeast side of the intersection of 41st and Tejon.
Angel Duran, who owns Northside Broncos Stop, said her mother — the building’s owner — wanted Jerry Jaramillo to repaint the mural she spent so many years viewing.
Duran and Jaramillo are raising money to fund the project and hope to have the mural complete by year’s end.
“I looked at it every day. It was part of my upbringing,” Duran said. “It’s not only part of our Chicano movement, it also means a lot to the neighborhood.”
In the meantime, Jerry, 63, and Jay Michael, 25, just finished restoring “Mother Earth” and earlier this year restored “Flight of Dancer” at the Aztlan Recreation Center, 4435 Navajo St.
Jerry Jaramillo says both murals still hold up.
“This is for everybody, and it still has the same message I wanted to do,” he said while in front of “Mother Earth,” which depicts a woman surrounded by nature’s five elements. The mural is attached to the Cherry Bean coffee shop.
Jay Michael Jaramillo said it was the loss of “Primavera” that got the community to support his father’s other murals.
Tamburello said it was a tough decision to remove “Primavera,” and he was more than happy to save “Mother Earth.”
“It’s always a challenge when neighborhoods are in transition to find teachable moments and understand the cultural significance of the work that was there before,” Tamburello said.
After a strong response from the community, Jay Michael Jaramillo said he was glad Tamburello was willing to restore the mural.
“He understood that it really means a lot to the community,” the son said. “This is art for everyone. Just restoring this mural helps unify the neighborhood, from people who have been here for generations to the new people moving in.”
While greatly in the past 35 years, the murals seem to have a wide reach, from the strong Latino population in the early 1980s to the young professionals and families who have moved in the past few years. Jerry Jaramillo said he’s heard from both longtime neighbors and recent arrivals about how much they enjoy looking at “Mother Earth.”
Sunnyside United Neighbors Inc. president Jennifer Superka said she hopes to see more opportunities for murals in the neighborhood and sees Jaramillo as a signature of the community.
“It’s definitely a very interesting time for Sunnyside,” Superka said. “There’s this sense of loss with homes torn down and families moving out. … It’s always nice to have an artist we can point to and it’s also a source of pride.”
Jaramillo has painted more than 40 murals in the Denver area since the late 1970s. “Primavera” and “Mother Earth” were painted in 1980 and 1981, respectively, and he sees this as possibly his last opportunity to update them.
For his son, restoring “Mother Earth” and “Flight of the Dancer” was like helping family members.
“I grew up with these,” he said. “These are like my older sisters.”
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
Fundraiser for “primavera” mural
When: noon, Saturday, Sept. 19
Where: Northside Broncos Stop, 4100 Tejon St.
What: $5 for hot dog, chips and drink
Go Fund Me Page:
