Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana facts for kids
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| Established | 1989 |
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| Location | 510 South First Street, San Jose, California |
| Type | Art museum, community art program, performing arts |
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (which people call MACLA) is a cool place for modern art. It focuses on the experiences and history of Chicano and Latino people. You can find it in the SoFA District at 510 South First Street in San Jose, California. MACLA started in 1989. Its goal was to encourage important talks in the community and help everyone be treated fairly. Today, MACLA offers many programs. These include visual art, live performances, and literary arts. They also have art education for young people and community art projects. The space has two areas for performances, an art gallery, and the MACLA Castellano Playhouse. They often host poetry readings and show movies there.
History of MACLA
MACLA was started in 1989 by Maribel Alvarez, Mary Jane Solis, Rick Sajor, and Eva Terrazas. They believed that art could help people talk about important community issues. They also thought art could help create a fair society. This was especially important as downtown San Jose was changing. Maribel Alvarez, who was MACLA's executive director from 1996 to 2003, wrote about MACLA's early days. She explained how it helped bring back a Latino cultural center. There were also big discussions about San Jose's identity and Latino art in the 1980s.
For many years, MACLA and the city of San Jose had different ideas. The city wanted MACLA to be at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. But MACLA wanted to be part of the modern art scene downtown.
Between 2009 and 2013, MACLA worked hard to get grants and money. They wanted to buy their own building. In May 2013, they successfully bought the building. This was a big step. It made sure there would always be a physical space for Latinx art and community in downtown San Jose. This was important during a time when many neighborhoods were changing. Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez has been the executive director of MACLA since 2011. In 2016, artist Aaron De La Cruz painted a cool mural on the outside of the museum building.
Art Exhibitions at MACLA
MACLA often hosts exciting art shows. Here are some examples of past visual art exhibitions:
| Date(s) | Exhibition name | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1997 – October 1997 | Lowrider Bicycles: Art and Identity Among Mexican American Youth | Dennis Gaxiola, Marcos Gaita, Willie Galván, Angel Salvatore. | |
| January 2001 – March 2001 | Gender, Genealogy and Counter-Memory: Remembering Latino/a Cultural Histories | Curated by Richard T. Rodriguez and Eugene Rodriguez. | |
| September 2002 – November 2002 | Ties that Bind: Exploring the Role of Intermarriage Between Latinos and Asians in Silicon Valley | Lissa Jones and Jennifer Ahn. | |
| November 2005 – December 2005 | Intersections: Reflections of Home and Migration | Hector Dio Mendoza and some works done in collaboration with Binh Danh, and Angelica Muro. | |
| November 2013 – February 2014 | Maize y Mas: From Mother to Monster | Yvonne Escalante, Yolanda Guerra, Fernando Mastrangelo, Viva Paredes, Jorge Rojas. | This show explored food and corn. It looked at themes like history, identity, and family. |
| June 2019 – August 2019 | Unicorns, Aliens & Futuristic Cities: Speculative Latinidades | Javier Martinez, Jorge Gonzalez, Veronica Rojas, Michael Menchaca, Claudia Blanco, Jesus Helguera. | Curated by Joey Reyes and Maryela Perez. |
| December 2019 – March 2020 | Our Connection To The Land | Abiam Alvarez, Arleene Correa Valencia, Karen Miranda Rivadeniera, Narciso Martinez, Suzy Gonzalez. |
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