Olga U. Herrera NNNNNNNN Toward the Preservation of a Heritage LatinAmerican and LatinoArt in the Midwestern United States NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN : NNNNNNNN NNNNNNNN Toward_________________________________________________________ the Preservation of a Heritage: Latin American and Latino Art in the Midwestern United States Research from the first year of the Midwest Latino Arts Documentary Heritage Project with a Chronological Overview, Selected Bibliography, and Exhibition Lists Olga U. Herrera with a foreword by Víctor Sorell and Gilberto Cárdenas The Getty Foundation The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Olga U. Herrera, author Olga U. Herrera is national coordinator for the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, headquartered at the Institute for Latino Studies. She is also a research associate with the US Midwest team of the Documents of 20th-Century Latin American and Latino Art: A Digital Archive and Publications Project and with the Midwest Latino Arts Documentary Heritage Project. Prior to joining the Institute, Herrera served as program specialist and coordinator of the Arts and Culture Program at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Latino Initiatives. She holds an MA in art history from Louisiana State University and is currently pursuing a PhD in cultural studies at George Mason University. Her research interests include modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art, and theories of globalization, migration, and culture. Institute for Latino Studies, University of Notre Dame The Institute for Latino Studies, in keeping with the distinctive mission, values, and traditions of the University of Notre Dame, promotes understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural, and religious life of US Latinos through advancing research, expanding knowledge, and strengthening community. The Julian Samora Library, Archives and Special Collections The primary purpose of the Library and Archives unit is to support University research on Latinos by collecting, preserving, and providing access to unique and uncommon printed materials documenting Latinos in the Midwest, Latino arts and culture, immigration, civil rights, religion, and higher education. The Julian Samora Library is named in memory of the Chicano/a studies pioneer and former Notre Dame professor of sociology (1920–1996) whose work focused on immigration, civil rights, public health, and rural poverty. The Library and Archives keep alive his legacy of research for social justice and social activism by offering faculty and students a forum for archival research and scholarship in Latino studies. The Library and Archives unit is actively involved in outreach to promote the preservation of Latino heritage by encouraging other libraries and individuals to collect and save documents pertaining to Latino history and culture that have been generally overlooked by mainstream repositories. The Library and Archives strive to collect the documents of that heritage—many of which remain in the file drawers, storage boxes, closets, and attics of those who created them—before these precious resources are lost. ii © 2008 University of Notre Dame Contents iv Acknowledgments 35 The Early 1940s: Looking at the 56 The Task Force on Hispanic Western Hemisphere Anew American Arts v Preface 57 Nuestras Artes de Michigan ix Foreword 37 The Mid-1940s to Early 1960s: Artists Joining Academia and 58 The 1980s: New Art Organizations, 3 Introduction Establishing First Commercial New Art Spaces, Blockbuster 5 Latin American Art at US Galleries Exhibitions, and Multiculturalism 58 MIRA Midwestern World Expositions, 37 Carlos Lopez 38 Mauricio Lasansky 59 The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum 1893–1904 62 Activity in Wisconsin and Michigan 6 The World’s Columbian Exposition 39 Rufino Silva 40 Jean Charlot 63 The Art of the ‘Fantastic’ of 1893 65 Multiculturalism 9 The Pan-American Exposition of 1901 41 Enrique Riverón and IndeX 11 The St. Louis Louisiana Purchase 42 Hugo Rodriguez de Soto and Gallery 4 66 The 1990s: Asserting Exposition of 1904 42 Pan-American Games a Pan-Latino Identity and Pan-American Art 66 The Chicago Show vs. In the Heart 14 Immigration and Settlement: 43 The 1940s and 1960s: of the Country Establishing Communities in the 68 Reactions to the Columbus Midwest, 1900s–1910s Onwards A New Demographic Shift, Puerto Rico and Cuba Quincentennial 14 European Migration 69 Seeking Visibility and Space 15 A Growing Latin American Presence 44 The Mid-1960s: The Foundations 16 The Railroads of a Midwest Latino Art 75 Globalization and 17 Mexican Political Exiles 44 María Enríquez de Allen the New Millennium 19 Population Growth through the Midwest 44 Carlos Cortéz 76 Works Cited 20 Diasporic Communities 45 The New Generation 81 Exhibition Lists 21 The 1920s: 46 The Late 1960s and Early 1970s: 82 Latin American Artists Mexicanidad and the Midwest The Contemporary Mural 102 Latino Artists 22 Hull-House Movement 145 Selected Bibliography 25 Postrevolutionary Mexican Culture 46 The People’s Art 146 Books and Articles Returns to Its Roots 48 Collaborations and Collectives 157 Calendars and Calendarios 27 The 1930s: Mexican Artists 53 The Mid- to Late 1970s: 158 Film Documentaries in the United States Towards the Creation of a Latino 158 Artists’ Websites 28 Diego Rivera: A Figure of Controversy Art Infrastructure 159 Organizations’ Websites 31 Art and the New Deal 53 Raza Art & Media Collective 159 Oral Histories 34 Beyond Muralism 55 Organizations in Michigan 159 Archival Collections 160 Archival Documents iii Acknowledgments The Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame With an initial pilot project begun in October 2005, the of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Public Library is pleased to present this publication, Toward the Preservation Institute has convened summits in the states of Illinois, in Illinois; Kaytie Johnson, Chuck Loving, Craig Martin, Michael of a Heritage: Latin American and Latino Art in the Midwestern Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin to bring together artists, art Quintero, Lewis Ricci, Ramiro Rodriguez, and Sachi Yanari- United States. Since its founding in 1999, the visual arts administrators, librarians, archivists, and friends of the arts Rizzo in Indiana; Judith Huacuja in Ohio; Irissol Arce, Alicia have been an integral part of the Institute’s research agenda to discuss the major moments in Latino visual arts in their Avila, Dan Banda, José Chavez, Robert Cisneros, Raoul Deal, and educational activities through academic courses, visiting respective states; to identify the players—the organizations, Zulay Febres-Cordero Oszkay, Michael Flanagan, Mark Fraire, professorships and artist-in-residence programs, exhibitions, institutions, individuals, and artists’ collectives—that have Reynaldo Hernandez, Estrellita Herrera-Meinholz, Sandra education and public programs, and conferences. In 2005 had a role in the development of art activities in the Midwest; Martinez, Wence Martinez, Francisco Mora, Victor Mora, and the Institute’s visual arts activities expanded to the areas of to determine where primary sources reside; to assess the Rosa Zamora in Wisconsin. documentation and preservation through a partnership with the state of preservation of and access to archival collections in Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, International Center for the Arts repositories or private collections; and to strategize actions that A special thank you to Carlos Tortolero, Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, of the Americas’ Documents of 20th-Century Latin American and will preserve this rich heritage as legacy for future generations. and team member Víctor A. Sorell and for their support and Latino Art, A Digital Archive and Publications Project and, more Components of the project include field surveys of artists insightful comments. recently, with the Institute’s own three-year Midwest Latino Arts and organizations’ collections and assessment of archival A great project relies on a great staff. We thank our colleagues Documentary Heritage Project. repositories throughout the Midwest and the “preserving art at the Institute for Latino Studies who have supported our work, In keeping with its mission to promote understanding and history” workshops conducted by Geof Huth, consultant and especially Allert Brown-Gort, Tom Davis, Andrew Deliyannides, appreciation of the social, cultural and religious life of US director of Government Records Services at the New York Caroline Domingo, Doug Franson, Brett Keck, Idalia Latinos through advancing research, expanding knowledge, State Archives. Maldonado, Donna Ring, Maribel Rodriguez, Zoë Samora, and strengthening community, the Institute has been building A project such as this would not be possible without the support and Vickie Wagner, as well as research and editorial assistants a solid foundation as a research center in Latino visual arts of a great art community. In our first year of endeavors we thank Alexandra Bott, Sarah Budds, Melissa Fisher, Erica Hansen, in the Midwest. With the founding of its own Galería América all the artists, organizations, and individuals who so generously and Jeremiah Waggoner; and Jane Norton and José Jorge in 1999 and through partnerships with the Crossroads Gallery have shared information and selflessly contributed to our quest Silva of Creative