I am a photographer

"I photograph to satiate the primal urge to hunt, capture and possess." - Jesús Manuel Mena Garza, 01/04/17

Jesús Manuel Mena Garza's New Patreon Page

I am not getting any younger or richer. Currently, I am able to complete a few projects despite monetary obstacles, but your donation to Patreon can help me realize more and better projects. 

Feel free to contact me about any of my past, current and planned projects. Be one of the first to donate to my Patreon page. Thank you for your financial support!

http://www.patreon.com/jmmgarza

Another Documentary Photography Exhibition

Just finished installing a photography exhibit at the Fort Worth Central Library. The 31 black and white photos will be up until April 30, 2015. You are invited to a reception the evening of April 14. I look forward to seeing you.

Click photo to enlarge

A very short video

A Chicano Photographer's Journey Video

Fort Worth, Texas Trinity River Photography

If you do an image search on the Internet for "Chicano" you will get back photographs of lowriders, gang members and tattoos. Essentially stereotypes. I see the Chicano experience much more broadly than that. I have captured images that range from portraits, events, infrastructure and landscapes. My reality and my home.

This duotone photograph of Fort Worth, Texas' Trinity River was taken last year. Originally in color, I transformed the image into various subtle black and white and sepia tones. Fort Worth has many rivers. This section of the Trinity River near downtown I find especially beautiful.

The original image is 24x36 inches. I have downsized the image and made it available for download as a letter size poster. The Adobe PDF can be printed via your home, office or commercial printer (Office Depot, Costco, Target, etc.). 

Click on the image below to download and feel free to share. Please send me your comments or questions.

Copyright 2015 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved.

(682) 365-8702

EMAIL

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Photographers Conundrum

By Jesús Manuel Mena Garza

Like Henry David Thoreau, I long to abandon waste and illusion in order to discover life's true essential needs. A pastoral realm that integrates both nature and culture.

Lately, I have imagined a simpler life. Then I acknowledge I am a photographer. Photography requires acquiring and mastering certain technologies. Not so simple.

Today, I exist on the margins. A place where nature has been stripped and replaced by a layer of human infrastructure. Still I imagine leaving this artifice behind and assimilating back into the natural realm.

Copyright 2014 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved.

Jesús Manuel Mena Garza Documentary Photography Exhibition - July 18 to September 29, 2013

Kathryn Blackmer Reyes of San José State University (SJSU) created this poster and curated my show at SJSU. If you happen to be in San José, California go check out my photo exhibition at the SJSU MLK Library.

Click poster to enlarge

2011 San Bernardino County Museum Photography Exhibition Focuses on the 70s Chicano Experience

[Photo by Ann Marie Leimer, Ph.D. Click to enlarge]

Chicano Photographer, an exhibition by Riverside, California documentary photographer Jesús Manuel Mena Garza opens at the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM) Schuilling Gallery, March 26, 2011. The exhibition continues to November 6. A reception open to the public takes place on March 25, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

The photographs were captured from 1970 to 1975. During this period, Garza took intimate photographs of Chicano icons César E. Chávez, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzáles and others. The photographs provide a retrospective glimpse from the unique perspective of the photojournalist and activist. The SBCM exhibition lists thirty-one select images from the photographer’s Imágenes Xicano Archive, a portion of which has already been exhibited on both coasts.

University of Redlands Professor Dr. Ann Marie Leimer adds, “During the past decades, Garza has extensively published and exhibited several documentary photographic series. The Chicano Photographer series explores important aspects of the American experience, historic events and cultural practices often marginalized by the dominant culture.” Photographs from the series have already been published in journals and books. Dr. Leimer recently completed a book on the photographic series. The Chicano Photographer series can be viewed at Garza’s website, jmmgarza.com.

Please contact the SBCM for details about lectures and events coinciding with the Chicano Photographer exhibition. The March 25, 2011 reception is a family-friendly event featuring free entertainment, food and refreshments. Parking is also free.

Chicano Photographer Exhibition and Lecture Series

Location:

San Bernardino County Museum

Schuilling Gallery

2024 Orange Tree Lane

Redlands CA 92374

Voice (909) 307-2669 ext. 227 Fax (909) 307-0689

www.sbcountymuseum.org

Contacts:

Ann Marie Leimer, Ph.D., University of Redlands, 909-557-7159, ann_leimer@redlands.edu

Michele Nielsen, Curator of History, San Bernardino County Museum, (909) 307-2669 ext. 240, mnielsen@sbcm.sbcounty.gov

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San Jose's MLK Library to host forum on 70s Chicano Movement

[Click the image of the flyer to the right to enlarge (8.5x11). Right now, it is definitely too small to read. Print as many as you want. Thanks!]

Artists and activists involved in the Chicano Movement in San José between 1970 and 1975 are encouraged to attend a forum at the Cultural Heritage Center in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at San José State University on April 19, 2010 at 7PM. Professor Ann Marie Leimer will present photographs of El Movimiento captured by San José-born photographer Jesús Manuel Mena Garza.

The photographs document critical political and community events shaped by the San José Chicana and Chicano community. Dr. Leimer said, “Participants will have an opportunity to share their knowledge of the depicted events. Feedback is critical for the success of this forum.”

The University of Redlands professor added, “During the past decades, Garza has extensively published and exhibited several documentary photographic series. The Chicano Photographer series explores important aspects of the American experience, historic events and cultural practices often marginalized by the dominant culture.” Dr. Leimer is currently developing a book on the photographic series.

While a student at San José State University, Garza took photographs of national and local movement leaders and documented protests, marches, and community celebrations. The series can be viewed at Garza’s website, jmmgarza.com. Twenty-six black and white images from the extensive collection have been exhibited previously on both coasts.

The Chicano Photographer Documentary Photography Series:
The Chicano Movement in San José from 1970 to 1975

Date: April 19, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Location: Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
Cultural Heritage Center, Fifth Floor, Room 525
150 East San Fernando Street (Corner of Fourth Street)
San José, CA 95112
Contact: Ann Marie Leimer, Ph.D., (909) 557-7159, ann_leimer@redlands.edu

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Photography Studio Flash Choice

[Click photo of Profoto D1 Air kit to enlarge]

Recently I have been researching various brands of portable studio strobes for purchase. I need something that is rugged and easily transportable from location to location. The units I've been looking at vary in price from $99 to thousands.

I need a strobe that gives me plenty of bang for my buck. Here is what I am looking for; repeatable color temperature, high quality build, radio and/or light synchronization, low weight, medium power output, fast recycle time, quality accessories and of course a great price. In the past I have used Norman, Speedotron and Broncolor units. All of these brands are excellent for professional work.

There are some very affordable brands offered online by companies like Adorama. Adorama has been around for decades and sell the complete range of photographic equipment and supplies. The Adorama $99 Flashpoint system with free shipping and no tax is a great example of an affordable studio light.

What stops me and others from purchasing a Flashpoint strobe is that you can't examine them before purchasing. You have to be content looking at the website, pictures and specifications before you purchase. In the end, if the product doesn't make the grade, you have to ship them back. Yes, you will have to find the receipt, repackage the product, go to the post office and sadly pay for return shipping. Such is life in the Internet age. By the way, do you know what age is next?

One brand that really impresses me is Profoto. Along with being fully digital and a rental house workhorse, the Profoto D1 Air system allows you to trigger your flash from as far as 1,000 feet. Yes, the fact they are also a status symbol hasn't diminished their value in my eyes. These Swiss made gems can make any studio photographer more productive.

If you enter a budget studio you may find cheap brands like White Lightning or Alien Bees. Yes, they work okay. I am considering Alien Bees as an affordable option.

Higher-end studios usually can afford (see tax write off) Profoto and Broncolor. These reliable and accurate brands are designed for professional photographer’s with plenty of commercial clients. Only a busy pro can rationalize spending thousands on these workhorses.

Middle of the row brands include Calumet Travelite and Photoflex Starflash. Low-power two-light kits from these manufacturers are in the $800 to $1,300 price range. I have had my grimy little fingers on these flash units and they are well made. In the end (they say) you get what you pay for, but with the advent of affordable Chinese labor, new products can now be offered at a much lower price without sacrificing too much quality. What is your budget?

UFW Photographer George E. Ballis Fights Cancer

George Elfie Ballis has been dealing with jaundice from a blocked liver and gall bladder from pancreatic cancer the past month and a half and may not live much longer.

MAIA’s REQUEST

Please do not call here to ask questions, express love or sympathy as we need to focus on caring for George. E-mails are preferable.
If you are in the Bay Area, please let us know if you are available to help Maia get back and forth from Oakland (Montclair district) at her sister’s home to the Veteran’s Hospital in SF in the AM and home in the PM Mon. and Tues. Oakland phone: 510-339-3587

For those of you who want more details:

He just learned his prostate cancer was in remission in early September. A few weeks later he had severe jaundice. We thought is was a stone, but it was cancer. Things are happening quickly. They tried in Fresno VA unsuccessfully then successfully at SF Veteran’s Hospital to place a tube (stent)t in his common bile duct,
He has lost weight and is a lovely fluorescent yellow. He is feeling weak, tired and disoriented from liver toxicity. He is not in pain, but his skin itches badly and that keeps him awake at night. Yesterday he was very lucid and stronger than he has been since his release from San Francisco VA a week ago. We had some concerns about his platelet count being very low.

History:

The Fresno VA found and tried an endoscope-down-the-throat procedure to remove a blockage that they suspected was cancer in the pancreas blocking his common bile duct; but sent him to SF VA the following week for their superior equipment.
I took him to the San Francisco VA Emergency when his symptoms got worse. He had a procedure there the next day where the docs placed a tube through his blocked common bile duct (for gall bladder and liver) to open it to his intestine. His CT scan showed he still has large deposits of bilirubin in his liver, but it had a place to exit for 2 days. When he was released 4 days late, we got a flat driving home on I5. We ended up having the tow truck drive us home. The 5 hour trip lasted 8 ½ hours and we got home in the dark. He was feeling badly 2 days after they placed the stent and his bilirubin count went down 1 point from 31 to 30. This week bilirubin was up to 36. Normal is 1, so it indicates the duct Is clogged again for some reason - either the bilirubin is very dirty, or the stent got pressed by pancreatic cancer. So his continued liver toxicity is causing brain fog, disorientation and weakness.

During the MRI diagnostics, they found a mass in his pancreas and a small mass in his liver. We just got a PET scan (will pinpoint all his cancer) but do not have the results. We will then know if has spread to his liver.

We leave for Oakland today, he is in SF VA tomorrow AM and the procedure to place a stronger metal stent is Mon., which will allow his bilirubin levels to go down if it works. That may return his brain function and allow him a possible 3 months of life.

Smiling Seriously,

Maia Ballis for George Elfie Ballis
SunMt
559.855.3710
Box 314
Prather, CA 93651

Information from a Daniel del Solar email

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Steve Anchell's Route 66 Photography Exhibition

[Click photo of Steve Anchell to enlarge. Photo and text copyright 2009 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved.]

By Jesús Manuel Mena Garza

Wearing a Leica M7 named “Sonny” around his neck; Steven Anchell strolled into the Gallery at the Creative Center for Photography in Los Angeles for the opening of his exhibition titled, Route 66. The photographer and author, noticeably late, was cordial and available to discuss his work with the modest gathering. Anchell is a photographer with an international reputation. He leads numerous photography workshops including one scheduled for Cuba in 2010. He is the author of several books on photography including The Darkroom Cookbook. His portfolios include; documentary, landscape, food, fine art, commercial and architectural photography.

The exhibition consisted of forty black and white photographs typical of documentary photography. Documentary photography is a couple steps removed from family snapshots taken with a Kodak Brownie, but those steps are crucial and hard-fought. They allow his work to ascend into the realm of fine art.

A fine art photographer needs a keen eye, an advanced sense of composition and mastery over current technology. Anchell is facile in both digital and analog photography. Anchell, as his publication credits indicate, has mastered the darkroom. The 57-year-old photographer noted, “My favorite developer is D76H. I make it from scratch. It is much better than the stuff that is already prepared.” Having feet firmly planted in both camps is typical of photographers of his generation.

In this series, the photographer used a variety of film formats to capture his images. They included 6x7 roll film, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 inch sheet film. The photographer said, “Though I use both, I prefer film over digital. Film is more personal.” He added, “The photographs for this series were taken over several years. Sometimes I would go out for a couple weeks, sometimes a month, to take pictures.”

The 16x20 inch silver gelatin prints explore the remnants of Route 66, the iconic American highway as it meanders from Chicago to Santa Monica. Shot under natural light, the auteur has captured retro diners, vintage cars and quaint restaurants. Witnessing the state of decay of the infrastructure within various communities was paramount in this production. Roland Barthes, in his classic essay, Rhetoric of the Image explains, “What we have is a new space-time category: spatial immediacy and temporal anteriority, the photograph being an illogical conjunction between here-now and the there-then.”

In Sting Spot of the West, New Mexico, Anchell captures a dusty car from the forties parked for what seems decades in front of an Indian trading post. This image illustrates excellent gradation of tones limited only by the variable contrast Ilford paper. If the negative were printed on a graded fiber based paper like Ilfobrom Galerie, the final product would have been improved. I feel his paper choice was one of convenience.

Another print that I found compelling was Wigwams, Rialto California. The quirky faux Plains Indian residences were definitely out of place and kitsch. A small pathway leads the eye towards the three pyramid-shaped dwellings. The closest tipi was darker offering a contrast to the brighter row of tipis arcing gracefully behind.

The fact that the images were not framed in a traditional manner but simply nail mounted by the staff of Freestyle Photographic Supplies limited the aesthetics of the exhibition. The use of Plexiglas sheets also caused annoying glare to interfere with viewership. Overall the show was well produced, though poorly attended. I counted only a dozen people that were not staff at the event. The silver gelatin prints were for sale at $650 each. Other sizes were available starting at 8x10 inch prints mounted on 14x18 inch, 4-ply museum board for $224. Additionally, digital prints mounted on a similar board were being offered at a lower price.

Having exhibited my documentary photographs at venues across the nation, I find a certain kinship with his work. Anchell, like me, apparently enjoys capturing the subtle textures and cultural symbols that mark a fading American landscape. With the encroachment of cheap foreign products, the epoch of the Pontiac and tipi are fading, only to be captured as mementos by adventurous documentary photographers.

Derrick Price, referring to Martha Rosler, an influential Rutgers University author and artist states,

“To understand it [documentary photography] we need look at history, and she characterizes documentary as a ‘practice with a past’. A past, we might add, which, despite changing technologies, practices and fashions, was always concerned to claim for documentary a special relationship to real life and a singular status with regard to notion of truth and authenticity.”

In the digital age, the photograph is subject to artistic compliance. Can a documentary photographer capture “real life or truth”? This “claim” is invariably tainted by subjective analysis and invariably exposed in production. Yes, documentary is not as contrived as studio photography and there can be an “authentic” and “special relationship.”

The photographs from the Route 66 series could be retroactively published in Life or Look magazines. These two magazines were popular in the mid-20th century and were filled with lavish photographic essays. They consistently presented the documentary works of talented photographers ranging from Margaret Bourke-White to W. Eugene Smith to Robert Capa. Anchell is of a generation that would have been exposed to these magazines. They may have influenced his work. These coffee table staples have long disappeared like the malt shops on Route 66. Their remnants or facsimiles are now only accessible as curiosities.

The role played by Anchell and other documentary photographers is comparable to that of a hunter. Their goal is to travel to an exotic or even banal location and “shoot” their quarry. They return home triumphant with the desiccated representation and proudly nail it to the wall. In the city or ‘burbs, far removed from the original context of the image, locals leer at the circumstances presented in two-dimensions. The photographer’s purpose is to entertain a largely disconnected audience with great stories and brilliant images, all claiming a parallel reality. The “show” is the successful culmination of a long and tedious photographic odyssey. In her essay in Public Information Desire, Disaster, Document, Abigail Solomon-Godeau wrote, “There is a risk that irrespective of the photographer’s intentions the subject becomes an object and spectacle.”

Anchell’s Route 66 exhibition does not explore more explicit forms of documentary photography popular today. In the genre, the presentation of the image of a starving African or Asian against a sterile museum wall is typical. The juxtaposition and its effect on viewership are intentional and profitable. Eminent photography historian Naomi Rosenblum wrote, “Efforts to focus on ‘real life’ with all its grittiness, as opposed to the idealized world visible in print ads and on television, increased the voyeuristic tendencies that had always been inherent in photography.” As potential photographic subjects, at what point does our reality transition to grittiness and becomes condescending?

We are bombarded by information every day. Photographers have been given a unique opportunity, a chance to explore the corners of a ground glass and gain intimate knowledge of a select subject. For an instant in time a photographer can ignore the harassing confusion surrounding them and focus on a scene others may have dismissed.

The process of photographic production, especially documentary photography, is an opportunity to inject yourself into discussions about our transitioning world. According to Minor White, in Susan Sontag’s seminal book, On Photography, “the photographer projects himself [herself] with everything in order to know it and feel it better.”

Some may find the decaying infrastructure photographed in Route 66 not worthy of exhibition. While others would relish the opportunity to capture a scene headed towards oblivion, to witness and preserve it for future generations. A great documentary photographer can facilitate the transfer of valuable information from one generation to another. The photographs in this show have given me additional impetus to continue taking pictures in my sphere and to expand my role as messenger and voyeur.

Bibliography

Anchell, Steve "," Route 66 (Email response, October 19, 2009).

Anchell, Steve, interview by Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. Route 66 Hollywood, CA, (November 15, 2009).

Barthes, Roland. "Rhetoric of the Image." In Classic Essays on Photography, edited by Alan Trachtenberg, 269-286. New Haven, CN: Leete's Island Books, 1980.

Price, Derrick. "Surveyors and Surveyed: Photography out and about." In Photography: A Critical Introduction, edited by Liz Wells, 65-112. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006.

Rosenblum, Naomi. "Documentary Photography: Past and Present." In Photography's Multiple Roles, 84-119. Chicago, IL: The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College of Chicago, 1998.

Solomon-Godeau, Abigail. "Inside/Out." In Basic Critical Theory for Photographers, 125-132. Oxford, England: Focal Press, 2007.

Sontag, Susan. On Photography. New York, NY: Picador, 1977.

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About Landscape Photography

[Photo copyright 2009 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved. Click image to enlarge.]

Some photographers like to take landscape photos. I do too. But the simple fact remains, any landscape image won't even come close to actually being there. No camera can capture the subtle tones and textures resplendent in the natural world. Even the nature in your backyard (if you have a nice one) can be more vibrant than any print by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston or Imogen Cunningham.

That is why I don't take many landscapes. Obviously the seasons at Yosemite, Yellowstone and other natural venues repeat annually. If you go at the right time of year you can enjoy the real thing. The snowy river, the bright blue sky and the eroded canyons have not moved anywhere, yet.

Sometimes I will take a picture during a trip to remember the moment. But nature has to be seen smelled, touched, etc., up close and personal. Not experienced flat and impersonal. Photos of nature are just hollow remembrances, mementos. When you are in a gallery inspecting the desiccated remains of a landscape hanging on a sterile wall, do you ask yourself, I would rather be there than here?

When I walk (not drive) down the street, I am in awe (yes, I get giddy) of nature and architecture. I see art and sometimes history in subtle cracks, textures, shapes and hues.

What do I like

Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area I became familiar with the works of photographic legends Adams, Weston and Cunningham. If you are going to a gallery, I would suggest also investigating the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto and Minor White (earlier). They offer unique abstract images of the ocean. I consider their work more valuable and entertaining.

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40 Years of the Chicano Movement

[Photo of César E. Chávez in San José (1970) by Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. Click to enlarge. Copyright 2009 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved.]

On Wednesday September 16, 6-8 pm in San José, California there will be the discussion, "Organizing en el Movimiento". The first of a series of discussions that seek to honor the contributions of (some of) those involved in San José's Chicano Movement.

Invited guests will be Sofia Mendoza (United People Arriba), Sal Alvarez (UFW), Adriana Cabrera-Garcia (MAIZ), and David Madrid (DeBug). Moderated by Maribel Martinez of the Cesar Chavez Community Action Center at SJSU.

Featuring music by Conjunto Libertad and the exhibiting of rare photos and art of the movimiento from Jorge Gonzalez.

Organizers

MAIZ (Movimiento de Accion Inspirando Servicio)
Cesar Chavez Community Action Center
Teatro Vision
Sponsoring Organizations

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CALAVERAS CALLEJERAS

[Click on image to enlarge. Click on header or the link below to go to their blog]

If you are interested in amazing Chicano-identified documentary photography, check out this blog. CALAVERAS CALLEJERAS, Documentary Photography.

Here is a link: http://www.calaverascallejeras.com/Blog/blog.html

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About Documentary Photography

[From my website, jmmgarza.com. Photo copyright 2009 Jesús Manuel Mena Garza. All rights reserved. Click on image to enlarge.]

Some documentary photographers treat their subjects like quarry in the jungle. They stalk them, take their shot and then hang their desiccated representation on a distant sterile wall. The jungle is the Amazon or the barrio, it is all the same. As outsiders, their images lack any humanity and show a visceral disdain for their subjects.

At the art reception, the shooter can be seen prancing around, weaving fanciful tales of his adventures to the spellbound audience. The assembled, saturated by the stench of privilege, sip on wine while esoteric rhythms waft in the background. The photographs remain mute. Surrounded, the captured photographs witness the decadence.

Jesús Manuel Mena Garza
February 12, 2007

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Photographer's work informed by culture, childhood

By DANIEL FOSTER
Special to The Press-Enterprise

Few photographers in the Inland Empire have as prolific a body of work in fine and documentary photography as Jesus Garza, a resident of Riverside. Garza has pursued his love of critically observing and documenting the world around him since he was eight years old -- almost a half century.

As a photographer, artist and organizer, Garza's photography has been informed by his upbringing in the migrant labor camps of the Santa Clara Valley in the 1950s and '60s.

Reflecting on his cultural roots and the inherent power of a photograph to communicate and educate the public, Garza said, "From the beginning, my images have as their source my migrant farm worker heritage and my immersion in the dynamic political and artistic culture of El Movimiento, the political movement that emerged during the mid-60s seeking social justice. ... Through photography, I explored the dynamic Chicano culture of the (19)70s."

Over a long photographic career, Garza has turned the camera's eye toward many subjects -- always with a confident and insightful view about the "truth" within the subject. Garza's documentary photos are included in national exhibitions in addition to books, publications and collections.

Garza came to the Inland Empire when his wife, Dr. Ann Marie Leimer, accepted a professorship at the University of Redlands with expertise in Latin American/Hispanic/Chicano art in 2005. Previously, Garza lived in San Francisco and Austin, Texas.

Since arriving in the region, Garza has mounted two photographic exhibitions at San Bernardino Valley College and University of Redlands in the past two years. For more information about Jesus Garza, visit his Web site at www.jmmgarza.com

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For more information about the Artist Spotlight, please contact Daniel Foster, The Community Foundation at 951-684-4194 or DFoster@thecommunityfoundation.net.

Chicanas: Loud and Proud

Photo: Self Portrait Speaking Fire and Flowers by Maya Gonzalez

Chicana Badgirls: Las Hociconas at 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM

By Erin Adair-Hodges

Self Portrait Speaking Fire and Flowers by Maya Gonzalez part of her desire to “demonstrate the history of Chicana artists.” A photographer, Montoya co-curated the show at 516 Arts with Laura E. Perez, a professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. They noted a legacy of several generations of artists that was largely unknown. “What I wanted to do,” Montoya says, “was bring in those women of the first generation and then the subsequent generations.” The result is a show that sees contemporary Chicana art as the latest permutation of a conversation that began with the civil rights and feminist movements.

Las Hociconas translates as “large” or “loudmouthed.” It's fair to say that much of the featured art is exactly that, swelling with how much it has to share. Part of what Montoya calls the “extension of the vocabulary” of how we talk about sex and race is the examination of a group's central icons. For Chicanas, that icon is la Virgen de Guadalupe. Guadalupe is often seen as not only a religious figure, but the ultimate role model for Hispanic women.

The difference between the generations becomes apparent in their interpretation of the Virgin. Montoya describes it as such: For the first generation, she is largely untouched, kept in altar spaces, intact. It was Yolanda Lopez' portrayal of Mary in running shoes, sprinting from her altar, that signaled the arrival of a second generation. Guadalupe was a significant force in the shaping of the identities of this next generation, and they tended to recast Mary from an icon of impossible purity to one of modern strength and attitude. The third generation still holds the Virgin as an important cultural touchstone but seems more concerned with the introduction of new faces. That's why, as part of the Chicana Badgirls show, you'll see depictions of Ugly Betty, Selena and Sandra Cisneros alongside la Virgen of Guadalupe.

Along with wall art and installations, Chicana Badgirls brings in fabric work. “Fabric is a large part of Chicana domesticity,” Montoya says. “[Sewing] was very much a part of how Latinas learned to be women.” As part of this focus, the opening reception will feature the work of fabric artist and clothing designer Elisa Jimenez (Season 4 of “Project Runway”). Models styled by Inspire Salon will catwalk through the gallery wearing Jimenez' creations, each of which will then be hung and sold, with a portion of the proceeds going to support 516 Arts.

When I ask Montoya how she sees Chicana art 15 years from now, she laughs and says, “Cyberspace.” Younger artists, such Tina Hernandez and Rosa Zamora, are using technology and the Internet as a lens through which to view the world and shape their expectations, resulting in work that asks different questions than that of two generations before. Montoya holds that “an artist takes in where they're at—time, place ... influences.” And so, the range of work in Chicana Badgirls is stunning.

“This is a show that had to happen,” Montoya says, and she thanks Suzanne Sbarge, executive director of 516 Arts, for hosting the exhibit. “Not everyone has a voice, and that's what this show wants to do. We can look at ourselves now.”

For more info, call 242-1445 or go to 516arts.org.

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Computer-aided Chicano Artist Ignacio Farías

If art isn’t free, then what is it, asks local artist Ignacio Farías.

By Shannon O'Connor
The Zonie Report

Farías, 61, is a self-taught Chicano artist who creates abstract works using digital composition with acrylics and paints. His sole intention for his work is only to be beautiful, and he makes no bones about being called a “wall decorator” or using a computer to help create his works.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Farías began drawing things as a child. He said he was always in trouble at school for drawing caricatures of teachers and doodling in class.

He moved to Arizona in 1983 with his first wife, a native Arizonan, and their children. His techniques and unique styles come from experimentation and his only standard is to rarely, if ever, use a paintbrush.

“(In the beginning), I felt reluctant to use brushes,” Farías says. “Everyone uses brushes so I had to find another way.”

Instead, he uses a variation of tools that ranges from kitchen and carving utensils to spatulas, ice picks, combs and syringes. The only consistent marking that can be found on his works that were made with a brush is his signature, which he said enabled him to sign his name in a unique, Asian-looking style.

But it was his other hobbies, such as photography and advertising, that led to the use of digital composition in his artwork.

These tools of the 21st Century are the reason that Farías refers to his work as the product of “extreme mix media.” He says he’s a PC guy who uses a Velocity and plenty of Adobe software to bring his artistic visions to life.

Although the use of a computer may help with artistic effects, it doesn’t necessarily make the process go faster, Farías says. Much of the process involves the subconscious mind.

“Inspiration is not related,” Farías says. “Art is like a blessed area where the most beautiful things can happen. Never mind what is outside.”

Farías’ works are often created as a series, such as “The Eyes of a Woman,” which has about 80 different versions.

“No two women have the same eyes,” Farías said. “(They are) like fingerprints.”

Each displays the different types of women in the world. However, a few of them have an animal name that identifies the type of woman it depicts according to the Mesoamerican culture of Mexico. For example, the painting called “Eagle Woman Eyes” is a depiction of the “executive woman.”

Some of his other works are depicted on multiple canvases, such as “A Fascinating City,” which was done as an ode to Paris. This work is a display of five separate canvases that are displayed inches apart from one another but are connected by the flow of the elongated picture that they depict.

Link to Ignacio Farías website: http://www.ignaciofarias.com/
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Palm Desert Documentary Photography Class

Documentary Photography
Jesús Manuel Mena Garza
ART X484.34

Learn the art of visual storytelling -- whether for a single editorial image, for feature stories or books or for creating a personal record of things observed. In this class, you explore ways to execute photos through a range of styles and subjects and create a story line from concept development to picture editing and sequencing.

You learn to take better images with strong, sensitive and effective visual qualities by producing several themed projects that can work as a portfolio. The class will take place at the University of California at Riverside's Palm Desert campus.

When:
Saturday, October 04, 11, 18 and 25, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m

Where:
University of California, Riverside - Palm Desert
75080 Frank Sinatra Drive
Palm Desert, California
92211

Contact:
Veronica Hernandez
University of California at Riverside Extension
(951) 827-2564
vhernandez@ucx.ucr.edu

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