A Man with the Certainty of a Tree and the Flair of a Fish: Tony Aguirre
Owner: KCMO Parks & Rec
Artist: Concetta Morales
Installed: 2001
Medium: Mosaic/tile
Description:
Six murals depicting the life and influence of Tony Aguirre, a volunteer and mentor in the Westside community and for whom the community center was named. The murals depict scenes from his time as a volunteer coach and Athletic Director at the Guadalupe Center as well as other roles in the Kansas City neighborhood where he spent nearly his entire life. Two of the murals depict a fish, which was Mr. Aguirre’s nickname as well as the character traits he instilled in the children he mentored. Those traits are FISH: Friendship, Intelligence, Scholarship and Honor.
All six murals are attached to or inset in the front wall of the Tony Aguirre Community Center. Four of the murals face out from the front of the building. The two small murals are inside the two empty spaces in the wall above the outward facing murals.
Mural sizes, left to right (south to north): Large baseball player, 56" x 32"; Large fish, 24" x 80"; Small fish, 12" x 16"; Three branches and arches, 72" x 48"; Small baseball, 12" x 24"; Tree and home plate, 88" x 112"
Part of the City of Kansas City's One Percent for the Arts Program.
