Art has changed people's minds, shifted public opinions and made history. In our first “Groundbreakers Q&A,” we're talking with four people who create art that does just that.
The Chicano Movement, known as "El Movimiento," was a major effort in the 1960s and 1970s to extend Mexican-American civil rights and empowerment. A major component of El Movimiento was the artists. They created a socio-political movement that highlighted the plight of Mexicans in the U.S., they gave birth to a Chicano world view and, they generated a cultural renaissance, particularly here in California.
Think of the famous murals in San Francisco's Mission District and in San Diego’s Chicano Park. The creation of art collectives like the Mexican-American Liberation Art Front in Oakland, Mujeres Muralistas in San Francisco, and the Royal Chicano Air Force in Sacramento.
In today's politically-charged times, with DACA and ICE raids and National Guard troops summoned to the border and gentrification impacting Chicano/Latino neighborhoods, El Movimiento is getting a second wind. We're talking with four major artists who made that movement happen, and have inspired a new generation of activist artists in California.
THE GROUNDBREAKERS
* Juana Alicia, artist, former field organizer for the United Farmworkers Union, and founder of the True Colors Mural Project at Berkeley City College
* Malaquias Montoya, founder of the Mexican-American Liberation Art Front and UC Davis professor, teaching both in the department of Art and the department of Chicana/o Studies.
* Juanishi Orosco and Esteban Villa, founding members of the Royal Chicano Air Force and still-active artists (their latest work with the RCAF is on display at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento
