West campus news Releases Archive
Barrio artists present work at ASU's West campus, April 1
Mar. 23, 2005
Three highly distinctive painters from San Antonio, one of the nation’s most vibrant Chicana/o artistic communities, will talk about and show examples of their art and describe their work in the community from 2-4:30 p.m., Friday, April 1, at ASU’s West campus. The event is free and open to the public.
“West Side Stories: San Antonio Barrio Artists and Their Community,” features José Esquivel, Joe L. López and Celina Hinojosa in a program moderated by Manuel Avalos, associate vice provost for research and faculty development at ASU’s West campus.
According to Avalos, Esquivel’s painting was heavily influenced by the Chicano movement in the 1960s and he was a key member of the famous collective Con Safos Pintores Chicanos de San Antonio. His works depict the strength of the Mexican-American culture while recognizing the weight of economic oppression.
Joe L. López’s use of the gallo (rooster) as one of the main themes in his paintings led the E. & J. Gallo Corporation to sue the painter for infringement of their trademark. After winning a ferociously fought suit against the winery, López went on to found the Gallista Gallery where today he exhibits and encourages the next generation of painters.
Celina Hinojosa paints delicate and sensitive portraits of the rural Mexican-American population of southernmost Texas, giving individuality to people who are often thought of as faceless, with an emphasis on the primacy of the family. Her painting, “Ranchito Unión,” depicting three iconic figures of Hispanic/international culture that span many generations—St. Francis, Emiliano Zapata and Frida Kahlo seated peacefully together in the Rio Grande Valley—graces the 2005 poster for the Arizona International Latina/o Arts Festival.
Esquivel, López and Hinojosa themselves represent three generations of painters who span the culture of southern Texas from the post-World War II period (what Luis Leal terms the “Chicano period”) into the present. Through their work, which is poignantly anchored in a long-standing and self-knowledgeable culture, they radiate themes out to the national and international art world.
The presentation and discussion will be held at ASU’s West campus in the Classroom Lab/Computer Classroom building (CLCC), room 254.
“West Side Stories” is part of the six-week Latino/a Arts Festival taking place throughout the Phoenix area. The event is hosted by ASU’s West campus Office of Research and Faculty Development and the ASU Hispanic Research Center, an interdisciplinary unit administered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU’s Tempe campus.
Information is available on this and other Latino/a events online at: www.latinoartcommunity.org/community/2005AILAF/AILAFEvents.html
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Photo: The montage above, picturing examples of work by Esquivel, López and Hinojosa, respectively, is available upon request.
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