Multi-Site Exhibition Chicano/a/x Printmaking Examines Art as a Political Tool
A multi-site exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the SDSU Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies is now open at the SDSU Downtown Gallery, with additional gallery sites across San Diego and Tijuana. The SDSU Downtown Gallery exhibition runs Saturday, February 8 – Sunday, April 5, 2020.
The exhibition, entitled Chicano/a/x Printmaking: Making Prints and Making History – 50 Years of Art Activism, shares the richness of Chicano/a/x artistic expression through printmaking, which is one of the oldest methods in Chicano art.
Norma Iglesias Prieto from the SDSU Dept. of Chicana and Chicano Studies curated the exhibition with curatorial advisors Tina Yapelli, and Chantel Paul from the SDSU School of Art + Design, María de la Luz Ibarra from the Dept. of Chicana and Chicano Studies, and Amelia Malagamba.
The intent of the curatorial process was to highlight the cultural importance of Chicano/a/x art as an essential part of current concerns related to Chicano/a/x lives and culture.
“Chicano/a/x art embodies cultural, aesthetic, and political fluency,” said Iglesias-Prieto. “Printmaking attracted artists because of the sagacity of its political criticism, the immediacy of its production, and the multi-reproducibility of its images, all of which make it a highly effective means of sociopolitical critique.”
As a whole, the exhibition examines art as a political tool, and artists as agents of social change. Since its origins, Chicano/a/x art, especially printmaking, has been employed as a strategy to critique the politics of those in power. It has supported a grassroots dialogue that has led to the construction of cultural identity, affirmation and pride, and, ultimately, social change.
Drawing from a Rich History of Activism
The selected works for Chicano/a/x Printmaking are made from a wide variety of media, including linoleum cuts, monoprints, screenprints, and woodblock prints. The exhibition is drawn largely from the Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores García Collection of Latino Art.
As author of the forward for the exhibition catalogue, SDSU President Adela de la Torre expressed the importance of these artworks.
“These pieces illustrate the evolution of identity, culture, and power, which set the stage for the development of Chicana/o Studies Departments across the U.S. Southwest,” writes de la Torre. “These art pieces provide an important narrative of the daily life and cultural expression of our Chicana/o/x community.”
“Every stroke of color adds to their story and the captured historical moments. They express the complementary elements of identity and community activism in ways that foreground “el grito” for social justice today.”
The exhibition and events for Chicano/a/x Printmaking: Making Prints and Making History – 50 Years of Art Activism are sponsored by Ruben Islas, Nadia Gastelum, Adrienne and Juan Vargas, Gilberto Cárdenas, Southwest Airlines, ArtStartArt, the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, the College of Arts & Letters, the School of Art + Design, the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, and Arts Alive SDSU.
When and Where
Chicano/a/x Printmaking runs Saturday, February 8 - Sunday, April 5, 2020 at the SDSU Downtown Gallery, located at 725 West Broadway, San Diego, 92101. Hours are Thursday through Monday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed Tuesday and Wednesday and May 28). The gallery is open to the public and admission is free. For parking information, visit the SDSU Downtown Gallery website at art.sdsu.edu.
The exhibition will be on display concurrently at four venues: SDSU Downtown Gallery (San Diego), Centro Cultural de la Raza (San Diego), The Front Arte Cultura (San Ysidro), and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Tijuana).
“By working together, with different people from SDSU and our partner institutions on both sides of the border, we are honoring the way in which Chicano/a/x artistic communities produce art,” says Iglesias Prieto. “We are contributing to develop stronger transborder ties and communities, and that is always beneficial for the region and for SDSU.”
Exhibition Events:
As part of the exhibition, the SDSU Downtown Gallery will host several events at the Downtown Gallery and on the SDSU campus, all of which are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, February 18, 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.
Lecture by Artist, Victor Ochoa
Hepner Hall, Room 221
SDSU Campus
Tuesday, February 18, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
Lecture by Scholar, Amelia Malagamba
College of Arts & Letters, Room 104
SDSU Campus
Thursday, February 20, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
Gallery Tour with Amelia Malagamba and Gilberto Cárdenas from 6:15 – 6:45 p.m.
SDSU Downtown Gallery
Thursday, March 19, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Downtown at Sundown
Gallery Talk by Norma Iglesias Prieto
SDSU Downtown Gallery
Saturday, March 21, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies 50th Anniversary celebration
Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center
SDSU Campus
Events and run dates for the partnering exhibition sites can be found at the following websites:
The FRONT Arte & Cultura
https://thefront.casafamiliar.org/
Centro Cultural de la Raza
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte
About the SDSU Downtown Gallery
Since 2010, San Diego State University has hosted contemporary art exhibitions at the SDSU Downtown Gallery on the corner of W. Broadway and Kettner Blvd. The SDSU Downtown Gallery is dedicated to bridging the SDSU community of students and faculty with the bi-national region of Southern California through experimental, socially conscious, and scholarly presentations of contemporary art and design. Through a yearly calendar of exhibitions, lectures, performances, and artist-driven programming, we foster new ideas and engage in a dialogue about art making as a critical facet of society, highlighting San Diego’s diverse cultural landscape and our proximity to international borders.
About Arts Alive SDSU
Arts Alive SDSU is dedicated to providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff at San Diego State University to engage in the arts as an integral part of a comprehensive education that promotes creative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, professional innovation, and personal enrichment on campus and in the community. It is an initiative that raises awareness of the vibrant arts programming at SDSU, while integrating arts activities into a wider range of academic life, encouraging the participation of students in all disciplines. artsalive.sdsu.edu.
Chicano/a/x Printmaking is part of the Arts Alive SDSU Signature Event Series. Additionally, Arts Alive SDSU will be using funds from the Provost’s Strategic Excellence Award in order to support visiting artist residencies associated with the exhibition and its events.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.
