Miembros Newsletter: July 2023

Mexic-Arte Museum, in coordination with the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association, is presenting the exhibition Vida y Experiencias en la Frontera – Life and Experiences in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands in Saltillo, Coahuila. The exhibition will be presented at the Instituto Municipal de Cultura, Centro Cultural Casa Purcell. The exhibition will be on display from July 23 to October 30, 2023.

This exhibition is part of the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities program. In the spirit of friendship and cooperation, Mexic-Arte Museum and the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association are sharing this exhibition with Saltillo to celebrate this great city’s 446th Anniversary and International Festival. The exhibition is composed of 68 artworks, focusing on the border, from Mexic-Arte Museum’s permanent collection. The pieces were originally donated by Juan Antonio Sandoval Jr. (1946 – 2021), a reference librarian and subject specialist for art and Chicanx studies at The University of Texas at El Paso, in 2020. Life and Experiences in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands examines the cultural history and social issues of the border as portrayed by artists in the El Paso, Juárez, and the U.S. Mexico border region.  Life and Experiences in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands is divided into five themes: Creating a Border; Land, Fauna, and Allegories; I am Immigrant You Are; Immigrant Dream and Nightmare; and The Culture Continues/La Cultura Sigue.

The Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association is a non-profit organization that promotes international peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, one individual at a time. Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association promotes peace between Austin and Mexico by celebrating Saltillo and educating the Austin community about Mexico and the interesting traditions that are practiced in Northern Mexico and Texas. This exhibition is supported in part by the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association.

For everyone here at home – one can see the exhibition on the Museum’s website on this link – https://sandoval.mam.yourcultureconnect.com/

Jay B. Sauceda is the Founder of Sauceda Industries and Texas Humor. Sauceda Industries is an e-commerce logistics and shipping company. Texas Humor is a social media brand for Texans who love being Texan and have a sense of humor about it. He worked for over a decade in the advertising industry as a photographer for numerous brands, such as Texas Monthly, The New York Times, YETI, and BMW. Sauceda is also a pilot, entrepreneur, and author of Y’all: The Definitive Guide to Being a Texan and A Mile Above Texas. His aerial photographs of Texas were first published in a photo essay in Texas Monthly and exhibited at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. He currently resides in Austin with his wife, two kids, and two dogs. We welcome Jay B. to the Board of Directors.  Thank you for your enthusiasm and interest in the Mexic-Arte Museum!

Join us for the Changarrito cart with artist Alán Serna, who will be at the museum offering their artwork for sale on July 22-23 and July 29-30 from 12:00PM – 3:00PM CST. Come by the museum to support Alán and ask about his work!

On Thursday, July 27 at 5:00 PM, Isabel Servantez, Mexic-Arte Museum’s Curator of Exhibitions and Director Of Programs, will facilitate the virtual event with a series of questions directed at the artist including a Q&A taking place during the last 20 minutes of the event. 

You can see and learn more about Alán’s work on his website.

Alán Serna is a mixed media artist from Huanusco, Zacatecas, MX, now living and working in San Antonio, TX. In 2018, Serna earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking in 2015 from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he is currently an Assistant Professor of Printmaking and Drawing. Serna is the co-founder and Master Printer of Feral Editions, an independent publisher of fine art prints, artist books, and ephemera.

This month, we focus on the section Continuing Traditions of the current exhibition Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People. In this section, we see how innovation plays an important role in the creation of arte de la gente. This section highlights artists that expand and develop new aesthetics and techniques based on sometimes ancient creative practices. One example of that is seen in the pottery of the town Mata Ortiz in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Artist Juan Quezada reconstructed the ceramic practice of pottery prevalent at the archaeological site Casas Grandes (Paquimé) by the Mogollon people. This practice is believed to have ended 600 years ago. From shards Quezada found near the site, he recreated the ceramic process and designs of the Mogollon people. He took his own practice further by innovating with different colors and designs, and sharing it with the community in Casas Grande.

Vasija by Lupe Ontiveros is an example of Mata Ortiz pottery featured in Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People. Ontiveros forms her pots using local clay from Mata Ortiz and employs the coil method of construction, completing the design with a stone-polished finish (burnishing).

Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People is on view until August 20, 2023. Learn more by visiting the exhibit page.

The Mexic-Arte Museum is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington D.C. We will be displaying one of the artworks from the Permanent Collection, Sun Raid by Ester Hernandez, in the exhibition ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States. According to the National Museum of the American Latino, “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States is an introduction to critical concepts, moments, and biographies that shine a light on the historical and cultural legacy of U.S. Latinas and Latinos.”

Sun Raid was part of the Serie Project XV (2007-8). According to their website, “The Serie Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the fine art of serigraphy. The organization offers an Artist in Residence (AIR) program that allows participants to learn the technique and create a limited edition of prints, under the guidance of a Master Printer. Hoping to increase the presence of minorities in the art world, the Serie Project encourages multi-racial participation and two-third of all resident artists are Latino. The Serie Project was founded in 1993 by Austin artist Sam Coronado, and has hosted more than 250 residencies to date.” To learn more about The Serie Project, please visit www.serieproject.org. 

In Sun Raid, Ester Hernandez transforms a familiar raisin box to make a statement about the situation many farm workers are facing in the United States. The wholesome face normally found on the front of the box is changed into a skeletal farm worker wearing a huipil, a native Mexican dress. She wears a security-monitoring bracelet labeled ICE, for the Immigrations and Customs Agents, signifying looming deportation. Messages on the box are changed to read “Product of NAFTA,” and “Deportation Guaranteed.” Hernandez uses the names of Mexican indigenous groups from the Oaxaca area because they make up a large number of farm workers in the United States. She hopes her work provokes a dialogue about the issues that affect a population that is often invisible to the mainstream public. Her concern for farm workers can be seen in a similar image she created 27 years ago, titled Sun Mad. She transformed the same raisin box into a statement about the overuse of pesticides and the effect it has on our bodies and environment.

Ester Hernandez was born in California in a family of six children to farm worker parents. She received her Bachelors in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley and now lives in San Francisco.

Sun Raid will be on display in the Molina Family Lation Gallery in the National Museum of American History from now until mid-November. To learn more about the National Museum of the American Latino, please visit www.latino.si.edu.