Film Discussion: Town Destroyer (2022)
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What should be done when public perceptions of historical artwork polarize a community?
At a moment when the National Park Service and other public institutions are reexamining how history is interpreted and presented to the public – sparking both support and controversy – Town Destroyer feels less like a story about the past and more like a conversation about the present.
Town Destroyer, written and directed by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, documents the 2019 effort to remove New Deal-era murals adorning the walls of George Washington High School in San Francisco, California. Commissioned by the Works Progress Administration, Victor Arnautoff painted the thirteen-panel mural titled “The Life of Washington” in 1936. The murals present different moments in the life of George Washington, and unlike school textbooks of the time, Arnautoff chose to depict some of the more troubling attributes of Washington’s career. This includes ordering the annihilation of Haudenosaunee people during the American Revolution and profiting from the ownership and labor of enslaved Africans. The controversy becomes a touchstone for a national debate over public art and historic memory.
Please RSVP to join us for a screening of the film (55 min runtime) followed by a discussion.
Close to Home: Albuquerque has similar controversy! Check out this article and YouTube clip to learn more about the ‘Three Peoples’ murals in the UNM Zimmerman Library. As of this posting, the murals are covered and available to view by appointment only.