Copyright by Cary Cordova 2005
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Copyright by Cary Cordova 2005 The Dissertation Committee for Cary Cordova Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: THE HEART OF THE MISSION: LATINO ART AND IDENTITY IN SAN FRANCISCO Committee: Steven D. Hoelscher, Co-Supervisor Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Co-Supervisor Janet Davis David Montejano Deborah Paredez Shirley Thompson THE HEART OF THE MISSION: LATINO ART AND IDENTITY IN SAN FRANCISCO by Cary Cordova, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December, 2005 Dedication To my parents, Jennifer Feeley and Solomon Cordova, and to our beloved San Francisco family of “beatnik” and “avant-garde” friends, Nancy Eichler, Ed and Anna Everett, Ellen Kernigan, and José Ramón Lerma. Acknowledgements For as long as I can remember, my most meaningful encounters with history emerged from first-hand accounts – autobiographies, diaries, articles, oral histories, scratchy recordings, and scraps of paper. This dissertation is a product of my encounters with many people, who made history a constant presence in my life. I am grateful to an expansive community of people who have assisted me with this project. This dissertation would not have been possible without the many people who sat down with me for countless hours to record their oral histories: Cesar Ascarrunz, Francisco Camplis, Luis Cervantes, Susan Cervantes, Maruja Cid, Carlos Cordova, Daniel del Solar, Martha Estrella, Juan Fuentes, Rupert Garcia, Yolanda Garfias Woo, Amelia “Mia” Galaviz de Gonzalez, Juan Gonzales, José Ramón Lerma, Andres Lopez, Yolanda Lopez, Carlos Loarca, Alejandro Murguía, Michael Nolan, Patricia Rodriguez, Peter Rodriguez, Nina Serrano, and René Yañez. I especially am indebted to Francisco Camplís, Susan Cervantes, Carlos Loarca, Michael Nolan, Don Santina, and René Yañez, since they also gave me access to their personal archives. Juana Alicia also granted me the privilege of auditing her class at San Francisco State College and allowed me to record a meaningful discussion of her work. Maria Tello Carty assisted me via email. Mia Gonzalez, Yolanda Lopez, Michael Nolan, and Isabel Barraza helped me in more ways than I can count. Many of the people I mention here welcomed me into their homes, and through recordings and informal conversations, they have played a pivotal role in my personal education. v I also must note the scholars who have served as my guides, my teachers, and my friends. Pursuing a graduate degree is not an easy task, but my dissertation committee provided enormous support along the way. From our first meeting, Shelley Fisher Fishkin opened doors for me and proved an ardent supporter of my work. Her enthusiasm gave me the stamina I needed for graduate school. My dissertation co-chair Steven Hoelscher played an instrumental role in guiding and editing this work. The academic standard he modeled for me made this dissertation a far more valuable contribution and made me a better scholar. Janet Davis indelibly shaped my understanding of American Studies and taught me what great teaching looks like. David Montejano trained me in the history of the Borderlands and helped me disassemble traditional boundaries and perspectives. Shirley Thompson posed provocative questions and challenged my notions of race and culture. And the fabulous Deborah Paredez inspired me with her energy, flair, and intellectual savvy. Many other scholars directly and indirectly gave me the motivation I needed to complete this dissertation. I will continue to emulate the grace and fortitude of my mentor in public history, Martha Norkunas. Suzanne Oboler showed immediate support for my scholarship, and through her position with the Latino Studies journal, facilitated my efforts to publish a portion of my research. From afar, the writings of Eva Cockcroft, Holly Barnet-Sánchez, Shifra Goldman, Amalia Mesa-Bains, Chon Noriega, and Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, served as critical role models in processing my ideas. This dissertation also reflects hours spent in the archives, supported by some of the most helpful people I know – the archivists: Liza Kirwin, Cynthia Mills, and Joan vi Lord at the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, made me feel at home during my summer Latino Studies Fellowship in Washington, D.C. Liza Kirwin’s additional sponsorship of my work as an oral historian for the Archives of American Art proved invaluable. Salvador Güereña at the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archive at UC Santa Barbara always went beyond the call of duty and responded to my many inquiries with speed and kindness. I am consistently amazed by the fabulous scholars I have come to know as friends through my time in graduate school: Alicia Barber and I shared many painfully funny road trips that forever shaped my meditations on place. John McKiernan-Gonzalez suffered countless calls on his expertise and deserves an award for the number of times he read this manuscript. Kimberly Nettles proved to be the best writing partner in the world, and together at Mishka’s in “The People’s Republic of Davis,” we both wrote our hearts out. Joel Dinerstein and Kim Hewitt almost made graduate school fun with their biting wit and wisdom. Carolyn de la Peña welcomed me to Davis and proved an unflappable source of good humor. I also am grateful to Joanna Brooks and David Kamper; Bill Bush; Adam Golub; Christina Cogdell; Frank Guridy; Caroline Herring and Joe Crespino; Richard Kim; Nhi Lieu; Fred Nadis; Virginia Raymond; Alex Rogers; Sheree Scarborough; Julie Sze; Grace Wang; Jennifer Wilks; and Siva Vaidhyanathan. In addition, Yvonne Guu, Marina Parerra Small, Stephanie Schipper, Christine Tam, Ellen Will, and John Wu saw me through the rigors of graduate school from “the outside” and kept me grounded. Dan Boepple and Jane Burkhardt saw me through a winter in Vermont and kept me social. vii Finally, my family knows first-hand the rollercoaster adventure of crafting this dissertation. Without them, I would have gone insane a long time ago. My parents, Jennifer Feeley and Solomon Cordova, aided and inspired me at every turn on this journey. Though this dissertation is not about my parents, it is inextricably the result of their worlds colliding through me. Our families also helped me steer my way: Marcelina Cordova; Helen Wheelwright; Buddy and Helen Cordova; Gillian Feeley-Harnik and Alan Harnik; Vanessa Harnik and Leon Powell; Paul Harnik and Morgan Elmore; Luke and Paula Cordova; and Yvonne Gordon. In particular, I must recognize the “housing fellowships” granted by my cousins Vanessa and Leon and my grandmother Mom Helen. These informal family grants gave me the time I needed to write. And lastly, I would like to extend my love and appreciation to our honorary San Francisco family: Nancy Eichler, Ed and Anna Everett, Ellen Kernigan, and José Ramón Lerma. Perhaps I owe a special note of thanks to Nancy and José for introducing my parents. That was a good idea. At least I would like to think so. viii THE HEART OF THE MISSION: LATINO ART AND IDENTITY IN SAN FRANCISCO Publication No._____________ Cary Cordova, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2005 Co-Supervisor: Steven D. Hoelscher Co-Supervisor: Shelley Fisher Fishkin In this dissertation, I investigate the changing art and identities of Latino artists in twentieth-century San Francisco. Drawing on oral histories, visual culture, and archival research, I demonstrate how cultural geography and social movements have cultivated and complicated new art forms. I also show the tandem evolution of a Latino arts movement with the politics of a global Left. In chapter one, I juxtapose the cultivation of a Latin nightlife in North Beach in the post-World War II period with the physical displacement of Latinos from the area then known as the Latin Quarter. In chapter two, I argue for the importance of a 1950s Beat, or bohemian, culture in stimulating the creative interests of many Latinos in San Francisco, in spite of their marginalized position as participants. Chapter three traces the beginnings of a Latino arts enclave in San Francisco’s Mission District and the initial institutions and ad hoc groups that facilitated its growth. In chapter four, I use the experience of three Chicano artists – Yolanda ix Lopez, Rupert Garcia, and Juan Fuentes – to contextualize the significance of the 1968 Third World Strike in shaping their political consciousness and their art. Chapter five elaborates on the gender divisions permeating neighborhood arts activism through a study of two community murals, “Homage to Siquieros,” and “Latinoamerica,” each crafted by a team of male and female muralists, respectively. I conclude with chapter six, a study of Día de los Muertos and how its traditional expressions of mourning became more politically oriented with the impact of AIDS and the civil wars in Central America. The subsequent commodification of Día de los Muertos and the rising property values of the Mission District bring this work full circle back to a discussion of consumption, avant- garde politics, and physical and cultural displacement. x Table of Contents List of Illustrations ........................................................................................... xii Introduction......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Real Life and the Nightlife in San Francisco's