20 foot Woman bearing it all, installation piece kicks off a series of events to honor the women in the Chicano Movement
Chicana: A Conscious Choice is not just an art show it is a movement towards honoring the Chicana women that don’t get the fanfare of most men in the movement. “Woman have been historically overlooked while men celebrated, you can see this in literature, the arts and scholars” It’s a double edged sword being a woman of color” says Chicano Park muralist Berenice Badillo.
Patricia Aguayo not only is funding this project but also plans to open a book store to help the community preserve their history “Identity is the key to establishing unity.” This first event of many will serve to bridge the gap between generations, to facilitate the preservation of a historical movement born in San Diego during the 1970s.
Stephanie Cervantes a contributing artist who has helped in the restoration of a number of Chicano Park murals says “Evolution- If we don’t salvage the torch, it will die with the passing generation.”
Patricia Aguayo who has also volunteered her time to restore the murals in Chicano park states “We will be honoring local women who have dedicated their lives to activism/grassroots organizations, spiritual healing, education and many forms of art to the Chicano movement in San Diego, their hard work and dedication has not been in vain.”
Zerina Zermeño Co-curator, local artist and performing poet in this event, emphasizes on the importance of the female energy “It’s time we acknowledge the feminine force that preserves the Xicano/a movement. In acknowledging and honoring the women, we hope the community can identify and get to know them as a resource”.
The event will honor local women of the Chicano movement past and present, along with work from fifteen featured artists in an art exhibition/ installation with poetry reading, music, vendors and raffles, Saturday, September 15, 2012 at The Spot Barrio Logan, 1835 Main Street, San Diego 92113 from 5:00p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Admission is open to the public.