The Legacy of 70’s San José Chicano Arts Center Examined at SJSU

Performance, Art and Activism, a panel discussion on the legacy of El Centro Cultural de la Gente, will be held Sept. 25 at 6 pm at San José State University. The event is free and open to the public at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Room 225/229. A reception will follow in the Cultural Heritage Center (Fifth Floor).

In 1973, El Centro Cultural de la Gente came to life in an abandoned storefront near First and San Carlos Streets — where the Federal Building now stands. The cultural center became the epicenter for Chicana and Chicano artistic and political activism during the turbulent 1970s. The panelists will elaborate how “El Centro” informed arts production in San José and beyond.

The panel members include:
Teresa Castellanos - Moderator: Teresa currently serves as the coordinator of Immigrant Relations and Integration Services for Santa Clara County’s Office of Human Relations. She has a 25-year history of working on immigration issues through government, labor and community based organizations such as Justice for Janitors and the Health Workers Union and Catholic Charities.

Mary Jane Solis: Mary Jane has been involved in arts organizations that promote social justice and continues to support Latino art and artists in our community. She is a founding member of MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americano) and is the former vice chair of the City of San José Arts Commission where she championed multicultural arts development.

Felipe Rodríguez: Felipe has performed for more than 50 years. Coming from an amazing family of activists and performers, it was natural for Felipe to sing and play his guitar in church, on stage and on the picket line.

Adrian Tepehua Vargas: Active in Silicon Valley’s artistic and cultural movement for over 35 years as a theatre and film director, playwright, actor, musician, and producer. For 10 years he directed San José’s former Teatro de la Gente and was co- founder of El Centro Cultural de la Gente.

Elisa Marina Alvarado: Elisa is the founding member and Artistic Director of the 29-year-old Teatro Visión. She has been active in the Chicano movement for over 40 years as an actress, director and community organizer. Elisa has taught theater for Teatro Visión, San José State University, San Francisco State University and many community organizations.

The panel discussion will take place in conjunction with Jesús Manuel Mena Garza’s exhibition, A Chicano Photographer’s Journey: 1970 to the Present. Garza will give a presentation at 3 pm of his documentary images in the same room.

Location and Time:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, SJSU
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, Room 225/229, Second Floor
150 East San Fernando Street, San José, CA 95112
6 to 7:30 pm with reception to follow
Free and open to the Public

Sponsored by the MLK Library; SJSU School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Cesar E. Chavez Community Action Center – SJSU Associated Students; Department of Mexican American Studies; and SJSU’s Chicano/Latino Faculty & Staff Association

Public Forum on Lynching at the University of Redlands

The Department of Art and the Department of Art History at the University of Redlands invite participation in a public forum, Lynched: Reflection and Resistance at the Peppers Art Gallery, Thursday, Mar. 6, 2008, 7 to 9 p.m. A reception with the artists follows at the University’s Alumni House.

The public forum responds to the exhibition, The Edge of Conscience: The Long Shadow of Lynching that runs Feb. 19 to Mar. 16, 2008 at the Peppers Art Gallery.

University of Redlands’ Professor Ann Marie Leimer will moderate the panel. She said, “Most people think of lynching as a phenomenon that took place only in the South, but it also occurred in California as well as many other places in the Unites States. In California, Mexicans were often targets of these racist attacks.”

Dr. Leimer added, “Historically, the issue of the victim's guilt is secondary or often inconsequential in a lynching. The mob serves as prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner. Grounded in a discussion of artworks produced by Ann Tyler and Constance White, the panel will explore the impact of lynching and its effect on the American psyche. The panel will also examine these issues within the context of recent events, such as the Jena 6.”

The distinguished panel includes the artists Professors Ann Tyler and Constance White, from the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as scholars Dr. Sheila Lloyd, University of Redlands, and Dr. Tiffany López, University of California, Riverside.

Since the exhibition and forum will examine issues of racial violence in the United States, it may not be suitable for all audiences. This event has been generously supported by Student Life, Diversity Affairs, Women’s Studies, Race and Ethnic Studies, the Department of Art and the Department of Art History at the University of Redlands.

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For more information please contact: Ann Marie Leimer, Ph.D., University or Redlands, (909) 748-8505, ann_leimer@redlands.edu

LA Chicano Photography Panel Discussion A Success

[Photo: Panelists discuss photography and the Chicano Movement in LA. Click on image to enlarge. Copyright 2007 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved.]

Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art of Los Angeles hosted a panel discussion on essential literary and visual documentation of the Chicano Movement on Friday, June 29.

Photographers Oscar Castillo, Jesús Manuel Mena Garza, George Rodriguez and scholar Dionne Espinoza, Ph.D. headed the panel. This panel discussion took place during the exhibition Struggle and Liberation: Photographs of Seminal Events and Icons of the 1960s - 1970s. Hollywood Director Jesús Trevino moderated the panel.

The panel discussion examined the photography, events and issues of the Chicano Movement (El Movimiento Chicano of the late 1960s and early 70s). The audience stood up, asked questions and freely gave their perspective. In the end, the event proved to be informative and inspiring. More than 100 people attended.

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