About

CSRC Newsletter - September 2017

Volume 16, Number 1

In this special edition of the CSRC Newsletter, we celebrate the Getty-led Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative, which launches this week. The CSRC is one of the lead partners of PST: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles. The presenting sponsor is Bank of America. Exhibitions and performances will occur in L.A. and surrounding areas over the next four months. For general information and a calendar of events, visit www.pacificstandardtime.org.

News

“They Are Americans”
CSRC director Chon Noriega has written a commentary on President Trump’s decision to end DACA. In the op-ed, he reflects upon an artwork by Camilo Ontiveros currently on display in the exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing at LACMA. Read the commentary on the CSRC website.
 
PST: LA/LA launches with free event and museum admission day
Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA will kick off with a free, public launch party in Grand Park in downtown L.A. on Thursday, September 14, noon-10 p.m. Then, on Sunday, September 17 over fifty participating museums will offer free admission to their PST: LA/LA exhibitions, with thanks to Bank of America.
 
Black to teach undergraduate course on PST: LA/LA
CSRC associate director Charlene Villaseñor Black will offer an undergraduate course focused on the exhibitions of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA for fall quarter. Funded by a grant from the UCLA College of Letters and Science Diversity Initiative Steering Committee, “Art History C142B/C242B—Latin American Art of the 20th Century” will draw inspiration from the seventy plus exhibitions participating in the Getty initiative, the largest-ever set of museum shows dedicated to Latino and Latin American art. The class will consist of lectures, site visits, artist lectures, and curator-led exhibition walkthroughs. Requirements include attendance, weekly readings, in-class presentations, and writing assignments.
 
Huerta named UC Regent’s Lecturer
Los Angeles–based artist Salomón Huerta, whose work is featured in four PST: LA/LA exhibitions, including the CSRC-organized exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing at LACMA, will be in residence at UCLA as a UC Regents Lecturer the first two weeks of October. His residency will include a public discussion on October 11 at noon in the CSRC Library and co-sponsored by U.S. Latinx Art Forum. More information will be available in the coming weeks.
 
Stanford students study PST: LA/LA at the CSRC
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega and associate director Charlene Villaseñor Black will co-teach a two-week course for Stanford University undergraduate students beginning on September 4. “Pacific Standard Time LA/LA: A Celebration Beyond Borders” is part of Stanford’s Arts Intensive program. Students will have daily lectures, visit PST: LA/LA exhibitions, and meet with artists, including former CSRC visiting scholar Sandra de la Loza, whose exhibition Mural Remix: Sandra de la Loza was part of the first Pacific Standard Time initiative in 2011-12. (De la Loza is also the author of The Pocho Research Society Guide to L.A. from CSRC Press.) Students will examine cultural production and museum practice in the visual arts and assess both in dialogue with current discourse and past historiography of Latin American and Latino art.
 
Home attendance nears 100,000
Home—So Different, So Appealing, organized by the CSRC, opened on June 11 as the first PST: LA/LA exhibition. Since then, nearly 100,000 people of all ages have seen the LACMA show. Curated by Chon A. Noriega, Mari Carmen Ramírez, and Pilar Tompkins Rivas, the exhibition offers a groundbreaking look at one of the world’s most basic social concepts through the work of forty-two contemporary U.S. Latino and Latin American artists. Home closes on October 15 and will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it will be on view November 17, 2017–January 21, 2018. For reviews of the exhibition, see In the News (below).
 
CSRC partners on two PST: LA/LA museum exhibitions

PST: LA/LA exhibitions Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell, at the Vincent Price Art Museum, and La Raza, at the Autry Museum of the American West, were developed in partnership with the CSRC. Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell showcases the thirty-year career of the Los Angeles–based art photographer, whose photographs, videos, and some papers are archived at the CSRC. Curated by Sybil Venegas, the exhibition runs September 16, 2017–February 10, 2018. La Raza features select photographs from La Raza newspaper and magazine, which documented Chicano activism and community life from 1967 to 1977. Some 25,000 negatives are being digitized at the CSRC for public access, with support from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). Curated by Amy Scott and Luis Garza, La Raza is on view September 16, 2017–January 1, 2019. The catalogs for both exhibitions will be published by CSRC Press and distributed by University of Washington Press.

CSRC serves as lender to PST: LA/LA exhibitions
In addition to the exhibitions previously mentioned, the CSRC has provided artworks to the following PST: LA/LA exhibitions:
 
  • Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano LA, September 9–December 31 at the ONE Gallery and the MOCA Pacific Design Center, featuring artwork from the Gronk papers and the Fire of Life: Robert Legorreta—Cyclona Collection. Curated by David Evans Frantz and C. Ondine Chavoya.
  • US/Mexican Border: Places, Imagination, and Possibility, September 10, 2017–January 7, 2018, at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, featuring the artwork America’s Finest Tourist Plantation by Louis Hock, David Avalos, and Elizabeth Sisco. Curated by Lowery Stokes Sims and Ana Elena Mallet.
  • Mundos Alternos: Arts and Science Fiction in the Americas, September 16, 2017–February 4, 2018, at the University of California, Riverside ARTSblock, featuring materials from the Fire of Life: Robert Legorreta—Cyclona Collection. Curated by Robb Hernández, Tyler Stallings, and Joanna Szupinska-Myers.
  • Murales Rebeldes: L.A. Chicana/o Murals under Siege, September 23, 2017–February 27, 2018, at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, in collaboration with the California Historical Society, featuring images from the Nancy Tovar Murals of East LA Photograph Collection. Curated by Erin M. Curtis, Jessica Hough, and Guisela Latorre.
CSRC visiting scholars curate PST: LA/LA exhibitions
Several former CSRC visiting scholars are curators of PST: LA/LA exhibitions. Among them are Cecilia Fajardo Hill (Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985, September 15–December 31 at the Hammer Museum), C. Ondine Chavoya (Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano LA, September 9–December 31 at the ONE Gallery and the MOCA Pacific Design Center), and Robb Hernández (Mundos Alternos: Arts and Science Fiction in the Americas, September 16, 2017–February 4, 2018 at the University of California, Riverside ARTSblock).
 
L.A. Xicano artists in PST: LA/LA
Numerous Chicana and Chicano artists showcased in LA Xicano, the CSRC’s contribution to Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945–1980, will have their work on display in PST: LA/LA exhibitions. Among them are Carlos Almaraz, Judy Baca, Barbara Carrasco, Roberto Chavez, Judithe Hernández, Willie Herrón Dora De Larios, Gilbert “Magu” Luján, Ana Serrano, Patssi Valdez, and Linda Vallejo. For information on all museum and gallery partner exhibitions, visit www.pacificstandardtime.org.
 

CSRC in the News

Home in the news!
Home—So Different, So Appealing has been favorably reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, and Hyperallergic, among other media outlets. To read all coverage so far pertaining to this exhibition, see the Home media page here.
 
“Everything You Need to Know about Pacific Standard Time LA/LA’s Celebration of Latin American and Latino Art, Culture and Music”
In anticipation of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA’s “free museum day” on Sunday, September 17, The Sun highlighted two exhibits that the CSRC partnered on: La Raza and Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell.
The Sun, September 13, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA – the Perfect Exhibition for Trump’s America”
CSRC director Chon Noriega was quoted in a piece on the Getty-funded arts initiative Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA and the CSRC-organized exhibit Home—So Different, So Appealing, currently on display at LACMA.
The Guardian, September 12, 2017 (PDF)
 
“How Pacific Standard Time Is Writing Long-Overlooked Chicano Artists Back Into Art History”
In a preview of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, CSRC director Chon Noriega is mentioned for his contributing role in developing the initiative. The piece also mentioned La Raza, Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell, and Home—So Different, So Appealing, all shows to which the CSRC was a large contributor.
Artnet News, September 12, 2017 (PDF)
 
“In the Art World, ‘Latinx’ Marks a Gender-Free Spot”
CSRC director Chon Noriega was quoted in a piece discussing the popular terms ‘Latinx’ and ‘Chicanx.’ The exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing, which Noriega co-curated, was also mentioned. 
The New York Times, September 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Google Launches Massive Collection of Latino Art and History”
Jezebel announced Google Arts & Culture’s launch of a new online archive dedicated to Latino art and cultural history. The CSRC is mentioned for its contribution of two online exhibitions: Gronk: Speaking in Many Artistic Tones and Joteria: Documenting Queer Latinx in L.A. 
Jezebel, September 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“From Donald Duck to Donald Trump, an Unprecedented Look at Latin American Art Holds Up a Mirror to the U.S.”
In a preview of the Getty-funded arts initiative Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, the Los Angeles Times highlights a few of the exhibits that are particularity timely in the current political climate. Two of the shows the CSRC partnered on are mentioned, including La Raza at the Autry Museum of the American West and Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell at the Vincent Price Art Museum. Both open September 16.
Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2017 (PDF)       
 
“The Ultimate Map of All Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA Exhibits (So Far)”
A map of many of the Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA exhibits was released to help participants navigate the Getty-funded arts initiative launching this month. Included on the map are several exhibits the CSRC partnered on, including: Home—So Different, So Appealing, La Raza, and Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell.
KCET, September 5, 2017 (PDF)
 
“The Courageous Photography of Laura Aguilar”
Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, opens September 16 at the Vincent Price Art Museum with images courtesy of the CSRC and the artist. This is Aguilar’s first retrospective in her home city of Los Angeles. The CSRC Press recently published the exhibition catalogue.
Artillery Magazine, September 5, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA Puts Latin American and Latinx Art at the Center of Art History”
Home—So Different, So Appealing was mentioned in Art News for its use of the concept of home as its organizing principle.
Art News, September 5, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Latino Heritage Month 2017 Calendar and Cultural Guide”
Home—So Different, So Appealing is featured in the Latino Heritage Month 2017 Calendar and Cultural Guide. The CSRC-organized exhibit is on display at LACMA through October 15. 
Department of Cultural Affairs, September 1, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Five Latin American Galleries Join Forces for New LA Space”
In a piece announcing a new gallery opening in the Glendale area of Los Angeles that is a joint effort between five galleries from Latin America, Artforum referenced its Critics’ Pick of Home—So Different, So Appealing Home and the Getty-funded arts initiative Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, which is bringing Latin and Latin American art to the forefront of the Los Angeles art scene.
Artforum, September 1, 2017 (PDF)
 
“The Autry Museum Presents LA RAZA”
Arte al Día, August 31, 2017 (PDF)
 

“How Pacific Standard Time Celebrates Our Unique ‘LA/LA’ Land”
Time Out, August 29, 2017 (PDF)

“Never-Before-Seen Photos from the Chicano Movement Feel Timely 50 Years Later”
LA Weekly, August 28, 2017 (PDF)

“This Impactful Exhibit Showcases Hundreds of ‘La Raza’ Magazine’s Chicano Movement Photos”
Remezcla, August 23, 2017 (PDF)

“‘WeHo Artes’ Launches Wednesday with ‘In West Hollywood’”
WEHOville, August 22, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Fotos Resaltarán Aporte de La Raza al Movimiento Chicano Durante Aniversario” (Photos Highlight La Raza Contribution to Chicano Movement for Anniversary)
Hoy, August 12, 2017  (PDF)
 
“Ramiro Gomez ‘Home—So Different, So Appealing’ at LACMA”
Charlie James Gallery (press release), August 10, 2017 (PDF)
 
“The Autry Presents LA RAZA”
Broadway World, August 10, 2017 (PDF)
 
All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.
 

Events

Exhibition: Weaving Generations Together: Evolving Creativity in the Maya of Chiapas
October 2–December 15
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 5, 4:00–6:30 p.m.
Main and East Rotundas, Powell Library, UCLA
This exhibition of Zinacantec Maya textiles from Chiapas, Mexico, focuses on how weaving designs have evolved as the region has transitioned from the subsistence agriculture practiced by the ancient Maya to the currency-based commerce of today. This economic change has had a continuing influence on the design of textiles woven on the traditional backstrap loom. Over the centuries, textile design has transitioned from simple woven and embroidered textiles that tied the community together through virtually identical designs to novel, elaborate clothing designs that celebrate an individual weaver’s creativity. The exhibition also examines the transmission of weaving from one generation to the next and shows how this learning process has been transformed under new economic conditions. Curated by Patricia Greenfield, distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA, and Kathryn Klein, curator of ethnology at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico. Co-sponsored by the CSRC.
 
All CSRC events are free and do not require an RSVP unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the Events page on the CSRC website.
 

CSRC Library

CSRC partners with Google Arts & Culture for Hispanic Heritage Month
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the CSRC Library announces two online exhibitions produced in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, a not-for-profit initiative that collaborates with cultural organizations to make visual art accessible through a free online platform. The first exhibition, Gronk: Speaking in Many Artistic Tones, draws on Gronk, volume 1 of the A Ver: Revisioning Art History series from CSRC Press, to present an overview of the life and works of the L.A.-based artist. The second exhibition, Joteria: Documenting Queer Latinx in L.A., highlights the CSRC’s LGBTQIA collections, which the CSRC began actively collecting in 2007 as part of the LGBT and Mujeres Initiative. Images in Joteria were drawn from the following archival collections: Maricon Collective, VIVA, Cyclona, Queer Nation, Gil Cuadros, Laura Aguilar, Elena Popp, Yolanda Retter-Vargas, Tatiana de la Tierra, Ramiro Gomez Jr., David Damian Figueroa, and Dan Guerrero.
 
Library exhibition extended
Raphael Montañez Ortiz: Shred Your Worries and Other Destructions highlights three works that the multimedia artist created for the LA Art Show in January 2017: Shred Your Worries, Couch Destruction: Angel Release (Pennies from Heaven), and Piano Destruction Ritual: Cowboy and Indian, Part Two. The exhibition also displays key documents from throughout the artist’s career, from his “Destructivism Second Manifesto,” written for the Destruction in Art Symposium in London in 1966 to “digital experiments” conducted in the early 2000s. This exhibition highlights the Raphael Montañez Ortiz Papers at the CSRC Library, an extensive collection spanning eight decades that includes audiovisual materials, correspondence, ephemera, exhibition documentation, manuscripts, performance scripts, personal papers, photographs, printed materials, and academic publications. Curated by CSRC librarian and archivist Xaviera Flores, the exhibition will now be on display through December in the CSRC Library and hallway vitrines. It is viewable during regular library hours, Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Ortiz, recipient of the UCLA Medal, is also a featured artist in the CSRC-organized exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing, on view at LACMA through October 15.
 
To schedule a tour of the CSRC Library, contact CSRC librarian Xaviera Flores at xflores@chicano.ucla.edu.
 

CSRC Press

New release!
Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell, which accompanies the eponymous exhibition opening September 16 at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College, explores the work of Chicana photographer Laura Aguilar. The catalog is edited by Rebecca Epstein, communications and academic programs officer at the CSRC. The exhibition, curated by Sybil Venegas, is a collaboration between Vincent Price Art Museum and the CSRC. The catalog is distributed by University of Washington Press.
 
Aztlán dossier to focus on PST: LA/LA
The spring 2018 issue of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies will feature a dossier of writings related to PST: LA/LA. Curated by Colin Gunckel, professor of American culture at the University of Michigan American, the dossier will contain an excerpt from the introduction to the Laura Aguilar catalog by Rebecca Epstein; a portion of a La Raza catalog essay by Gunckel, who edited the catalog; a meditation on Home—So Different, So Appealing by co-curator and CSRC director Chon A. Noriega; and an essay on queer mail art networks by C. Ondine Chavoya, professor of art and Latina/o studies, W. Ford Schumann Faculty Fellow in Democratic Studies, and Faculty Fellow of the Davis Center and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity at Williams College.
 
New A Ver volume on Baca
Judith F. Baca—perhaps best known for The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a colorful 2,740-foot mural painted on the concrete wall of the Tujunga Wash in northern Los Angeles—is the subject of volume 11 in the CSRC Press’s A Ver: Revisioning Art History series. Author Anna Indych-López surveys Baca’s oeuvre and discusses her pioneering work in community-based public art. The book features more than eighty color illustrations and two multipage foldouts. Judith F. Baca will be released in early 2018 and will be distributed by the University of Minnesota Press.