Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts

Last updated
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Mission Cultural Center For Latino Arts (MCCLA) 2022.jpg
Location Map San Francisco Bay Area.png
Red pog.svg
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Location2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Coordinates 37°45′04″N122°25′14″W / 37.751242°N 122.4205681°W / 37.751242; -122.4205681
Built1977
Website https://missionculturalcenter.org/
NRHP reference No. 100005987
SFDL No.303
Significant dates
Added to NRHP2020 [1]
Designated SFDLJune 3, 2022

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) is an arts nonprofit that was founded in 1977, and is located at 2868 Mission Street in the Mission District in San Francisco, California. [2] They provide art studio space, art classes, an art gallery, and a theater. [3] Their graphics department is called Mission Grafica, and features at studio for printmaking and is known for the hand printed posters. It was formerly named, Centro Cultural de La Mission. [4]

Contents

The center's building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2020; [5] and listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since June 3, 2022. [6]

About

2015 Carnaval San Francisco Parade 14. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts --- Carnaval San Francisco 2015 Parade 78 (18162067441).jpg
2015 Carnaval San Francisco Parade

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) provides art studio spaces, art classes, an art gallery, and a theater. [3]

MCCLA is active in the local community with supporting a series of annual events in the neighborhood such as the Carnaval parade, Dia de los Muertos, and others. Since 2003, MCCLA has been hosting an annual mole sauce competition. [7] The MCCLA is very active in the annual Carnaval parade, teaching related dance classes, building floats for the parade, help with designing Carnaval costumes, creating banners and posters, and more. [8] Additionally MCCLA is active in the annual Dia de los Muertos in the Mission District with erecting alters in Garfield Square park. [8] They have hosted an annual neighborhood art exhibition in February, Corazón del Barrio, where local artists and craftsmen sell works, prints, jewels, pottery, and weaving. [8]

The 40th anniversary of MCCLA was celebrated with an art exhibition attempted to expand the communities understanding of Latino experiences, “Here Now: Where We Stand,” (2017), curated by Anthony Torres. [9] The exhibition included artists Juan Fuentes, Andrea Gomez, Art Hazelwood, Ester Hernandez, Yolanda Lopez, Calixto Robles, Michael Roman, Patricia Rodriguez, Jos Sances, Rene Yañez, amongst others. [9]

History

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts float at the 2015 Carnaval San Francisco Parade 14. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts --- Carnaval San Francisco 2015 Parade 75 (17538352294).jpg
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts float at the 2015 Carnaval San Francisco Parade

The idea of a neighborhood community arts space had been in discussion starting in 1972. [4] In 1976, the Mission Arts Alliance was formed, led by Alejandro Gato Murguia and their first meeting was with the San Francisco Arts Commission. [4] A building was purchased by the city and prior to becoming the arts center, the building was used as a furniture store named "The Shaft". [4] Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) was founded by 1977 by artists and community activists to promote the experiences of Chicano, Central American, South American, and Caribbean people. [2]

Early artists active in the organization included many writers and poets such as Ernesto Cardenal, Nina Serrano, Roberto Vargas, and Raul Salinas. [4] [10] They called themselves the Pocho–Che group and they printed many political books and flyers including the Chicano zine El Pocho-Che. [4] [11] By 1978, a bulletin arrived from the Sandinista National Liberation Front calling for urgent action and support for the Nicaraguan Revolution. [4] As a result, the leaders started to leave the Centro Cultural de La Mission group to participate in the Sandinista guerrilla offensive, and the new leadership for Centro Cultural de La Mission under Alfonso Maciel changed the direction away from political activities. [4] By 1980 the Pocho-Che group had disbanded. [4]

The graphics and printing department, Mission Grafica, was founded in 1982 by Jos Sances and Rene Castro. [12] [13]

Solo Mujeres, an annual exhibition since 1987 at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.[ citation needed ] The Solo Mujeres 2020 exhibit includes Latino artists working with a variety of topics but holds a connection to the curatorial theme in relation to Gloria Anzaldua's writings.[ citation needed ] The curator for the 2020 exhibition, Martina Ayala chose to bridge connections to Gloria Anzaldua's writings pertaining to the Coatlicue State and Nepantlas, Coatlicue derives from the Mexica (mexihcah) culture and Coatlicue [14] was an important goddess in Mexica society.[ citation needed ] Ayala uses the Aztec (Mexica) references "Nepantleras" that described a state of in-between. [15] Some topics include femicide, healing, race, working class women, and disaster recovery.

Notable artists

This is a list of notable artists affiliated with MCCLA.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicano</span> Ethnic identity of some Mexican Americans

Chicano or Chicana is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans who have a non-Anglo self-image, embracing their Mexican Native ancestry. Chicano was originally a classist and racist slur used toward low-income Mexicans that was reclaimed in the 1940s among youth who belonged to the Pachuco and Pachuca subculture. In the 1960s, Chicano was widely reclaimed in the building of a movement toward political empowerment, ethnic solidarity, and pride in being of indigenous descent. Chicano developed its own meaning separate from Mexican American identity. Youth in barrios rejected cultural assimilation into the mainstream American culture and embraced their own identity and worldview as a form of empowerment and resistance. The community forged an independent political and cultural movement, sometimes working alongside the Black power movement.

The Mission District, commonly known as the Mission, is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is derived from Mission San Francisco de Asís, built in 1776 by the Spanish. The Mission is historically one of the most notable centers of the city's Chicano/Mexican-American community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Chicano Air Force</span> Art collective in Sacramento, California

The Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) is a Sacramento, California-based art collective, founded in 1970 by Ricardo Favela, José Montoya and Esteban Villa. It was one of the "most important collective artist groups" in the Chicano art movement in California during the 1970s and the 1980s and continues to be influential into the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicana feminism</span> Sociopolitical movement

Chicana feminism is a sociopolitical movement, theory, and praxis that scrutinizes the historical, cultural, spiritual, educational, and economic intersections impacting Chicanas and the Chicana/o community in the United States. Chicana feminism empowers women to challenge institutionalized social norms and regards anyone a feminist who fights for the end of women's oppression in the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda López</span> Mexican-American painter and activist (1942–2021)

Yolanda Margarita López was an American painter, printmaker, educator, and film producer. She was known for her Chicana feminist works focusing on the experiences of Mexican-American women, often challenging the ethnic stereotypes associated with them. Lopez was recognized for her series of paintings which re-imagined the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Her work is held in several public collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tortilla art</span> Fine art that uses tortillas as a canvas

Tortilla art is fine art that uses tortillas as a canvas. The tortilla(s) are baked, often coated with acrylic and painted or screenprinted. The purpose of tortilla art is to reflect the Chicano cultural roots of the artist. Tortilla art is a technique used in many countries. According to one tortilla artist,

"I use the Tortilla as a Canvas because it is an integral part of the Hispanic Culture and my heritage. For the subject matter of my tortilla paintings, I use imagery that is representative of Latinos, conveying their hopes, art, beliefs and history. As the tortilla has given us life, I give it new life by using it as an art medium."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galería de la Raza</span>

Galería de la Raza (GDLR) is a non-profit art gallery and artist collective founded in 1970, that serves the largely Chicano and Latino population of San Francisco's Mission District. GDLR mounts exhibitions, hosts poetry readings, workshops, and celebrations, sells works of art, and sponsors youth and artist-in-residence programs. Exhibitions at the Galería tend to feature the work of minority and developing country artists and concern issues of ethnic history, identity, and social justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican Museum (San Francisco)</span> Art museum in California, U.S.

The Mexican Museum is a museum created to exhibit the aesthetic expression of the Latino, Chicano, Mexican, and Mexican-American people, located in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2022, their exhibition space was permanently closed at Fort Mason Center; and they are still in the process of moving to a new space at 706 Mission Street in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Carnaval San Francisco, established 1979, is an annual street parade and festival in San Francisco, California, United States, held on the last weekend in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmen Lomas Garza</span> American artist and illustrator (born 1948)

Carmen Lomas Garza is an Chicana artist and illustrator. She is well known for her paintings, ofrendas and for her papel picado work inspired by her Mexican-American heritage. Her work is a part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Mexican Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Oakland Museum of California, among other institutions.

Alejandro Murguía is an American poet, short story writer, and editor. He is known for his writings about the San Francisco's Mission District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalo Alcaraz</span> American cartoonist (born 1964)

Lalo Alcaraz is an American cartoonist most known for being the author of the comic La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip. Launched in 2002, La Cucaracha has become one of the most controversial in the history of American comic strips.

Roberto Vargas is a Nicaraguan poet and political activist. He was born in Managua, Nicaragua and raised in the Mission District, San Francisco, where he became a prominent political activist. From 1974 through 1979, he taught Creative Writing at San Francisco State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicano art movement</span> Movements by Mexican-American artists

The Chicano Art Movement represents groundbreaking movements by Mexican-American artists to establish a unique artistic identity in the United States. Much of the art and the artists creating Chicano Art were heavily influenced by Chicano Movement which began in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepantla</span> Concept in Chicano and Latino culture

Nepantla is a concept used in Chicano and Latino anthropology, social commentary, criticism, literature and art. It represents a concept of "in-between-ness." Nepantla is a Nahuatl word which means "in the middle of it" or "middle." It may refer specifically to the space between two figurative or literal bodies of water. In contemporary usage, Nepantla often refers to being between two cultures, particularly one's original culture and the dominant one. It usually refers to a position of perspective, power, or potential, but it is sometimes used to designate a state of pain or loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Yañez</span> Mexican-American artist, curator, and activist

René Yañez was a Mexican-American painter, assemblage artist, performance artist, curator and community activist located in San Francisco, California. He was a well-known contributor to the arts of San Francisco and is a co-founder of Galería de la Raza, a non-profit community focused gallery that features Latino and Chicano artists and their allies. In the early 1970s, he was one of the first curators in the United States to introduce Mexico's Día de Muertos as a contemporary focus and an important cultural celebration.

Patricia Rodriguez is a prominent Chicana artist and educator. Rodriguez grew up in Marfa, Texas and moved to San Francisco to later pursue an art degree at Merritt College and this is where she learned about the Mexican American Liberation Art Front (MALA-F) and the Chicano Movement. In 1970, Patricia received a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute and this is where she met Graciela Carrillo. Together, they created and founded the Mujeres Muralistas, the first Chicana women's mural collective in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis Rodriguez</span> American painter

Lilly Marie Rodriguez, known by her artist name Isis Rodríguez is an American contemporary painter who uses the cartoon as a conceptual tool to discuss issues that focuses on the empowerment and liberation of women. Combining classical realism with contemporary influences including tattoo art, graffiti, and especially cartoons, her works bridge traditional distinctions between high and low art, creating a hybrid style that expresses new possibilities for female identity and spirituality. Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie Smith highlight Rodriguez as one of the few female artists to ever discuss the sex industry in her work, and Sherri Cullison includes Rodriguez among the most noteworthy American women artists of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Yañez</span> American curator and artist (born 1980)

Rio Yañez is an American curator and artist. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

John Joseph "Jos" Sances is an American artist, activist, writer, and community organizer, known for his printmaking, and tile murals/public art. He is the founder and director of Alliance Graphics. Sances is based in Berkeley, California.

References

  1. "NPGallery Digital Asset Management System". National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.
  2. 1 2 Candelaria, Cordelia (2004). Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 208. ISBN   978-0-313-33211-1.
  3. 1 2 Arreola, Daniel (2004-11-01). Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America. University of Texas Press. p. 95. ISBN   978-0-292-70562-3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Herrera, Juan Felipe. "Mission Cultural Center, Historical Essay". FoundSF. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  5. "Weekly List 20201231". National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  6. Gilbert, Andrew (2022-08-11). "Mayan rulers in the heart of the Mission as cultural center turns 45". Mission Local. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  7. "Neighborhood Notes: Mural unveiling on 24th Street this weekend, plus a slew of arts and music". Mission Local. 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  8. 1 2 3 Selbach, Gérard (2004-12-01). "Interview with Jennie E. Rodríguez, Executive Director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, CA, USA, August 15, 2001". Revue LISA/LISA e-journal. Littératures, Histoire des Idées, Images, Sociétés du Monde Anglophone – Literature, History of Ideas, Images and Societies of the English-speaking World (Vol. II - n°6): 95–100. doi: 10.4000/lisa.2833 . ISSN   1762-6153.{{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  9. 1 2 "Mission Cultural Center turns 40 - Q&A with exhibition curator". El Tecolote. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  10. "Guide to the Raul Salinas Papers, ca. 1950-1994". Online Archive of California (OAC), California Digital Library. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  11. Murguía, Alejandro. "Remember Me When You Drink Good Wine (en español: Recuérdame cuando bebas buen vino)". Stanford Libraries. Stanford University. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  12. Hashe, Janis (May 2019). "Jos Sances' Great White Whale". East Bay Express. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  13. Rossman, Michael (November 1986). "Evolution of the Social Serigraphy Movement In the San Francisco Bay Area, 1966-1986". FoundSF. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  14. "Coatlicue (article), Aztec (Mexica)". Khan Academy. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  15. Keating, AnaLouise. 2006. “From Borderlands and New Mestizas to Nepantlas and Nepantleras: Anzaldúan Theories for Social Change.” Pp. 5-16 in Re-Membering Anzaldúa: Human Rights, Borderlands, and the Poetics of Applied Social Theory: Engaging with Gloria Anzaldua in Self and Global Transformations (Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge: Volume IV, Special Issue, 2006.) Belmont, MA: Okcir Press (an imprint of Ahead Publishing House).
  16. Weber, Bruce (2012-12-03). "Spain Rodriguez, Artist of Underground Comics, Dies at 72". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-10-14.