This story focuses on a dispute over historic murals depicting the life of George Washington: slaveowner, general, land speculator, President, and a man Seneca leaders called "Town Destroyer" after he ordered their villages destroyed during the Revolutionary War. The murals, at San Francisco's George Washington High School, were painted in 1936 by leftwing artist Victor Arnautoff, a student of Diego Rivera. The murals both praise Washington and—rare for the time—critically depict him overseeing his slaves and directing the bloody seizure of Native lands. Trauma, student safety, and cancel culture, is addressed within the context of art, history, and racial reckoning.
Town Destroyer (2022)
Directed by Alan Snitow / Deborah Kaufman
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Diego Rivera, Floor, George Washington, George Washington High School, Ground, Land, Lorenzo Pérez San Francisco, Revolutionary War, Seneca, Student, Victor Arnautoff, Village, Washington