Carlos Almaraz, L.A. Memo (detail), 1980, Pastel on paper, 35 x 22 1/2 inches, AltaMed Art Collection
This exhibition seeks to re-examine the contexts through which we view and understand Chicana/o art of the 1970s and ‘80s. By re-visiting stories about these moments in our history we can more fully understand both the extent of these artists’ contributions to the evolution of Chicana/o art and appreciate their place in the pantheon of American art.
Rafael Barrientos Martínez, Guest Curator L.A. Memo: Chicana/o Art from 1972–1989
In the 1970s and 1980s, Los Angeles-based Chicanas/os strove to scrutinize aspects of popular culture and advanced alternative narratives concerning race, gender, sexuality, and citizenship-narratives that were largely absent from mainstream art practice at the time. These efforts were investigated in an exhibition, L.A. Memo: Chicana/o Art from 1972-1989, presented by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and AltaMed Health Services, the nation's largest federally qualified community health center. The exhibition ran from March 18 through August 14, 2022.
The exhibition showcased the artwork of more than 30 artists, including Carlos Almaraz, Patssi Valdez, Teddy Sandoval, and Judy Baca, along with other members of the first generation of Americans who came of age during the expanding media culture of the 1960s. At the same time, they were among the pioneering artists across the United States who would appropriate and utilize popular culture imagery as their subject matter, chosen medium, and means of presentation.
Organized by AltaMed and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and guest curated by Rafael Barrientos Martínez, AltaMed Curatorial Assistant, Collections, L.A. Memo explores how these artists adapted new modes of image-making and self-expression, breaking barriers to create a pivotal genre of art to tell their stories through painting, film, television, magazines, newspapers, theater, and music.
Source: Exhibition Text for L.A. Memo: Chicana/o Art from 1972-1989.
March 18 - August 14, 2022 LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles, CA, US
