| Artist: | Robert Freeman |
| Title: | San Gabriel Library Mural |
| Date: | 1984 |
| District: | Fifth Supervisorial District |
| Location: | San Gabriel Public Library |
| Department: | Public Library |
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In 1982, the Friends of the San Gabriel Library decided that the large blank wall over the children's section would be the perfect spot for a mural illustrating San Gabriel's early history. Funds were raised through book sales and community donations and artist Robert Freeman was soon commissioned to create and paint the mural. When the artwork was completed it measured 7 1/2' h x 45' w and depicted life at the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in the late eighteenth century. The mural shows scenes from the Mission's daily life – women grind corn, a vaquero rounds up cattle, and a padre helps Gabrielinos build a stone wall. On the far left, grapes signify the wine which was produced at the Mission, and on the far right a wickiup, a type of Gabrielino grass house, is depicted. The soft earth tones in the acrylic mural are intended to create a restful and pastoral atmosphere.
About the Artist: Robert Freeman was born on the Rincon Indian Reservation in 1939. He is a self-taught artist and began painting in 1961. He has won numerous National Indian Art Awards in oil painting, watercolor, pen and ink, and sculpture. In addition to the San Gabriel Library Mural, his public works include a commemorative Seal for the State of California embedded on the Capital steps in Sacramento, murals at the Perris Museum in Perris, California, as well as sculptures in Capistrano and Santa Fe Springs. His artwork has been exhibited at the Riverside Museum; University of Vermillion, SD; Shriver Gallery, Kansas City; and Sioux Museum, Rapid City, IA.