Carpas, Cuentos, and Corridos: Chicano Arts and Community Building
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2009 Carpas, Cuentos, and Corridos: Chicano Arts and Community Building Tanya Marina Mote University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, and the International and Area Studies Commons Recommended Citation Mote, Tanya Marina, "Carpas, Cuentos, and Corridos: Chicano Arts and Community Building" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 456. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/456 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. CARPAS, CUENTOS AND CORRIDOS: CHICANO ARTS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ____________ A Dissertation Presented to The Dean and Faculty of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy ____________ by Tanya Marina Mote August 2009 Advisor: John F. McCamant Author: Tanya Marina Mote Title: CARPAS, CUENTOS AND CORRIDOS: CHICANO ARTS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING Advisor: John F. McCamant Degree Date: August 2009 ABSTRACT This study suggests that effective forms of participation are grounded in histories of opposition and resistance. The intermediate relationship provided by voluntary associations, unions, clubs and even bowling leagues might teach citizens to act democratically; that is, to participate in activities related to electing leaders, but their usefulness extends beyond conventional politics to efforts to expand public life and to promote democracy through a broader set of activities that combine intensely social and personal public engagement, resistance, protest, and opposition, with conventional efforts to influence leaders. The experiences of community-based arts organizations provide a lens to examine both the barriers and opportunities that many organizations and their supporters face in their attempts to expand civil society. Community-based arts organizations speak to issues that other institutions aren’t addressing, preserve and perpetuate culture that is threatened, and meet the needs of citizens who aren’t being served well by dominant culture institutions. The position of these organizations within their own communities and within the public sphere, places them in a unique position to raise issues and to enforce accountability among institutions and the larger public who often lack cultural competency. Political actors respond to political fragmentation by creating autonomous enclaves that cannot be easily classified and/or generalized. Although voluntary associations are seemingly conventional components of a conformist civic culture, they ii are versatile and multidimensional spaces that serve many needs for members, who experience meaningful face-to-face relationships, as well as an opportunity for dialogue and debate. In small spaces, individuals have the opportunity to intentionally build community through practices of dialogue, mentoring, reciprocity, friendship and accountability. In an environment where accountability is enforced it is easier to recognize and confront the contradictions that arise in every community. Ownership is derived from a shared investment and effort that is channeled into an enterprise and it is an important component in participation. Movement building begins with simple efforts to engage individuals in a common struggle: it requires significant investment from individuals, and support from a community that reinforces the effort. New interpretations of movement building make it clear that autonomous enclaves have significant value to communities and provide important lessons in creating sustainability. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1 Active Citizens, Resistance and Participation ...........................................................1 Case Study .................................................................................................................7 El Centro Su Teatro .......................................................................................9 Study Structure...........................................................................................................13 From Resistance to Engagement................................................................................16 CHAPTER TWO: COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE ..................20 Introduction................................................................................................................20 Political Participation: The Elite vs. the Popular.......................................................23 Community ....................................................................................................29 Community and the Public Sphere ................................................................30 Community, Resistance, and the Public Sphere ........................................................34 A Broad View of Participation ......................................................................39 Community-Based Art and Community-Building Traditions ...................................40 Artistic Forms ................................................................................................45 Community-Based Art and Arts Organizations.............................................48 Community-Based Arts Organizations, Organizational Development and Civil Society............................................................................................................54 Conclusion .................................................................................................................58 CHAPTER THREE: THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CHICANO COMMUNITY AND AESTHETICS........................................................................67 Introduction................................................................................................................67 Chicano Aesthetics.....................................................................................................68 La Casa, El Barrio y La Lucha...................................................................................70 Survival, Resistance and Participation.......................................................................73 Survival and Renewal: The Context for Community-Based Art ...............................75 The Mexican-American Generation ..........................................................................78 The Chicano Movement: El Movimiento ..................................................................86 The Chicano Renaissance ..........................................................................................90 Chicano Theater.........................................................................................................94 CHAPTER FOUR: EL CENTRO SU TEATRO—RESISTANCE AND THE ART OF CULTURAL SURVIVAL.........................................................................................100 Introduction................................................................................................................100 El Centro Su Teatro: Theory and Reality ......................................................100 El Centro Su Teatro, Past and Present .......................................................................104 Su Teatro: Moving Beyond Activist Politics.............................................................110 El Centro Su Teatro and the Lessons of The Day Ricardo Falcon Died .......113 Su Teatro and Organizational Development..................................................114 Obstacles........................................................................................................119 Su Teatro and the Field ..............................................................................................123 Individual Donor Fundraising........................................................................123 iv A Note of Foundation Funding and Movement Building..............................127 Appropriation.................................................................................................134 Appropriation and El Centro Su Teatro.........................................................139 Community Art vs. Elite Arts ....................................................................................139 Access ............................................................................................................141 Barrio Babies, Real Women, and the Santa Fe Arts District .........................142 Conclusion .................................................................................................................151 Obstacles........................................................................................................156 CHAPTER FIVE: AUDIENCES, PARTICIPATION AND RESISTANCE .......................168 Introduction................................................................................................................168 A Priority for Arts Organizations: Building New Audiences....................................170 The Carpa, Audiences, and the