'Estampas de La Raza' Exhibition Showcases Chicano Artists

In a couple of days (1/27/13) an important exhibition of  printmaking will close at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. I was fortunate to see the exhibit firsthand upon a recent trip to San Antonio, and this is a first class view of contemporary Mexican American and Latino printmakers dating from the 1960s to the present. It is part of a gift from longtime print collectors Ricardo and Harriet Romo. I will address the exhibition first, and then provide information about the Romos, who were instrumental to bringing this exhibition to the public.

Estampas de la Raza features more than 60 prints by 44 artists. The subject of these images crosses traditional Latino cultural practice with social, political and angst. The diversity images, and artists gives the viewer insight into a popular, yet still unknown aspect of Latino concerns. Popular images of Frida Kahlo, tattoos, and the Virgin of Guadalupe serve as a part of the exhibit, but also defining the exhibit are the more personal statements of the artists - self-portraits as icon-like gang-bangers or the Virgen de Guadalupe. 

Colorful, hand-drawn prints of women in bars, all dressed up and expectantly waiting a client, crying cocks with their throats cut, the Statue of Liberty rising above the faceless brown people parading before it as they strive for citizenship. 

All of it all together gives a pretty good idea of Chicano concerns, their interests in self-image and the image they portray to people other than themselves. Richard Duardo's quad portrait of Frida Kahlo is inspired, basing itself upon the Latino perspective of an Andy Warhol and popular cultural idol worship. 

More popularly known is Esther Hernandez' iconic Sun Mad Raisins image of a skeleton happily holding the insecticide-poisoned grapes acidly speaks volumes of the travails of this country's migrant workers and their fight for better working conditions.

The play of Disney's Mickey Mouse and a Posada-inspired sharp-shooter, as seen below, show another blending of cultural humor. 

All in all, this exhibition packs a wallop, and gives a vivid, candid and provocative voice to the artists' represented. I came away with a better appreciation for this loud and proud group of images and sincerely hope this exhibit will travel the country so more people will become familiar with this genre. 

About the collectors....Harriett and Ricardo Romo started to collect art when they were teaching in Southern California in the late 1960s. They felt collecting art from the Chicano community would help support the young artists and build their cultural community. They worked with and purchased much art from East LA's printshop, Self Help Graphics & Art. After returning to Texas, the Romos, sought to support Coronado Studio, a printshop located in Austin.

They said they were inspired to collect from the artists who they met on their travels to mexico and the artists they saw in southern California. For anyone to be in a position to collect art is a fine thing indeed, but the Romos decided this area of printmaking was under-recognized. Their commitment to collect more in this vein was based upon the strong visual messages of these artists, and the reinforcement they saw their collecting had to helping artists continue working. Their efforts have helped artists forge a path in this society that doesn't always recognize the merits or worth of an image to make an impact. The Romos understand this and thankfully they are continuing to bring art to the masses with their gifts and their sponsorship. An interview with the Romos can be seen at http://chicanoarthistory.tumblr.com/post/33778460854/harriett-and-ricardo-romo-discuss-estampas-de-la

To give a little biographical information about the Romos, Ricardo Romo is a native of San Antonio, having grown up on its west side. He attended the University of Texas at Austin , holds a master's degree from Loyola Marymount University and a PhD. from UCLA Romo is an urban historian and  author of "East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio". 

His achievements include:

George W. Bush appointed him in 2002 to the President's Board of Advisers on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

Former Secretary of State Collin Powell appointed Romo in 2004 as a U.S. representative to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Romo received the Isabel la Catolica award, the highest award given to non-Spanish subjects, bestowed by King Juan Carlos of Spain, in 2007. 

He also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas Exes Alumni Association, in 2008.

He currently serves as the president of University of Texas at San Antonio, one of the fastest-growing colleges in the country.

Romo's wife, Harriett, is currently a sociology professor at UTSA. She also serves as director of the UTSA Mexico Center and the Bank of America Child and Adolescent Policy Research Institute (CAPRI). 

The Romos' private art collection includes works by Luis Jimenez, Carmen Lomas Garza, Cesar Martinez and Vincent Valdez, as well as print suites from Self Help Graphics and Coronado Studio. Due to the Romos' generosity, the McNay Art Museum is now known for having one of the best print collections of Chicano and Latino artists to be found anywhere.

A catalogue of the Estampas de la Raza exhibition is available through Amazon.

Carlos Cortez: Crusader for the Oppressed

One of Chicago’s most beloved printmakers, muralist and political activist Carlos Cortez (1923–2005) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a Mexican Indian Wobbly union organizer father and a German socialist pacifist mother. Starting in 1947, for sixty years, , Cortez was involved with the Industrial Workers of the World,writing articles and drawing cartoons for the union’s newspaper. He identified himself as an anarcho-syndicalist, and was an accomplished artist and a highly influential political artist. After Cortez married in 1965, he and his wife moved to Chicago where he became an integral part of the local Mexican and Chicano mural movement until his death.

Cortez is perhaps best known for his wood and linoleum-cut prints. When linoleum became too expensive, he worked with woodblocks. “There’s a work of art waiting to be liberated inside every chunk of wood. I’m paying homage to the tree that was chopped down by making this piece of wood communicate something.” --- C.Cortez
Inspired by the works of José Guadalupe Posada and Käthe Kollwitz, Carlos combined technical and stylistic influences from German Expressionism and themes from ancient Aztec and modern Chicano sources to make numerous prints about striking workers, miners, farm workers and portraits about labor organizers. More often, his art was about advocating for a position, rather than opposing some situation.  His social sympathies are akin to the  works of French artists Pissaro, Signac, and Millet, but he was often heard to credit Posada as his greatest influence. He also had affinities with the work of Siquieros and Leopoldo Mendez.

For anyone that knew him, Carlos Cortez was a kind soul, a giving person, a generous mentor to upcoming artists, and still is a great inspiration to many artists to this day.  His beliefs came from love and compassion for telling the truth, and celebrating our commonalities. Cortez’ presence is clearly seen amongst the younger Mexican artists in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, and his legacy will continue to influence new generations of artists as long as there is a truth to be told or a cause to uphold. 

I once attended a panel discussion that included Cortez and some notable local artists and art historians. An exhibition of Cortez' prints surrounded the panel discussion. At one point in the discussion, an arrogant art historian (obviously trying to make an inflammatory statement to rile up the crowd) made a derogatory statement about Cortez' life's work for social reform. The audience gasped, and then people started to decry the historian for his lack of respect for Cortez and his work. The trick was in. The historian had deliberately played the 'insult card', but I sat back and watched Mr. Cortez during the audience's ensuing tirade. He was calm, collected, unfazed. He realized what the historian was up to, and wasn't about to lower himself or his work to respond. When it came time for him to speak he quietly, calmly, and with compassion, put the historian and his cheap grand-standing tactic in it's place. The audience cheered. Cortez knew his self-worth and his work would outlast some historian's cheap flashpoint of debate. You see, he knew - as most artists do - that his work will live on, and speak a truth that will be long felt after his passing. No one can take that away or demean its sincerity.

Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art, which holds the largest, most complete collection of Carlos Cortez' work, has exhibited a complete installation of the artist’s living room studio. His work is otherwise found in several museum collections worldwide, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art. 

As an artist for the masses, this final statement about keeping his art available for the public is in keeping with his generous nature, and making sure the message of his work stays in the public’s eye.I hope this will inspire other artists to share their work more with their unknown audience, since our messages must remain in the public's eye to be powerful and meaningful. 

“… when you do a graphic, the amount of prints you can make from it is infinite. I made a provision in my estate, for whoever will take care of my blocks, that if any of my graphic works are selling for high prices, immediate copies should be made to keep the price down.”

–Carlos Cortez