My large pastel drawing, She Who Wears Bells On Her Cheeks, has been published as the book cover for Milagros Peña’s, Latina Activists across Borders: Women’s Grassroots Organizing in Mexico and Texas. In September of 2006 Ms. Peña’s publisher, Duke University Press, contacted me with an offer to publish my drawing. Apparently Peña had seen my artwork and thought it would make an appropriate cover for her examination of grassroots organizing conducted by Latinas on both sides of the U.S., Mexico border.

After the publishing house representative explained that Peña’s book would be a progressive, sociological analysis of border region women confronting issues of sexism, labor exploitation and domestic violence - I agreed to have my art associated with the project. I have no interest in doing commercial illustration for just any client, but on occasion a prospect will come along that dovetails with my own worldview - such is the case with Ms. Peña’s book. The Aztec Goddess of the Moon was named ‘She who wears bells on her Cheeks’ (Coayolquaxi.) My life-sized chalk portrait of an anonymous Chicana, portrays my subject holding a printed reproduction of the Moon Goddess.

Author and professor, Alberto López Pulido, said this of Ms. Peña’s Latina Activists across Borders: “Through powerful narratives and context, Milagros Peña finds a common and collective voice for Mexican, Mexican American, and Latina women. This work is groundbreaking because it provides a new vista by which to understand and assess the local and the global women’s movements from a feminist perspective. Peña tells a story that has never been told and tells it very well.” Mr. Pulido expressed precisely why I’m so pleased to have my artwork associated with this book.

The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) in Los Angeles has included my 1988 poster, No Human Being Is Illegal - Ningun ser Humano es Ilegal, in their traveling poster exhibit, No Human Being is Illegal! - Posters of the Myths and Realities of the Immigrant Experience.

Currently on display at Self-Help Graphics & Art in East Los Angeles through February 17th, 2007, the exhibit premiered in 1988 as one of the first exhibitions produced by the center. The show was a graphic response to the escalating deportations of Central Americans, and has since been updated a number of times. From the show’s press release:

Much has happened since the exhibit was last put on display in Washington, D.C. on September 8, 2001 - notably September 11th, the Iraq War, and the Patriot Act. While these events profoundly affect all of us, immigrants are the most vulnerable to the resulting rise in repression, racism and discrimination. Fortunately, many are fighting back, and as always, posters are central to educational and organizing efforts. The current version of No Human Being Is Illegal! includes posters made for the 2006 immigrant rights demonstrations - the largest demonstrations in the history of the United States. These posters are not just “Made in America.” Immigration is a volatile topic around the world, and although the majority shown here are made in the U.S., this exhibition includes posters from Argentina, Australia, Cuba, France, Germany, Greece, and Mexico.”

The exhibit is funded in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles. The Executive Director of CSPG, Carol A. Wells, will give a guided tour of the show held on February 17th, 2007, at 11 a.m. To RSVP, please call CSPG at 323 653-4662. The exhibit will be on display until February 18th, 2007. Self-Help Graphics & Art (map) is located at 3802 Cesar Chavez Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90063. Hours for the gallery are: Tuesday - Friday 10 - 5p.m., Saturday 10 - 3 p.m.

Xican@ Demiurge: An Immediate Survey at L.A.’s downtown Pharmaka Art gallery, is the latest examination of Chicano art to grace the L.A. art scene. I viewed the works of the twenty-one artists in the exhibit, which according to the organizers of the show are referred to as “Los In-betweens”, both for their standing in-between cultures and for evading the clichés of their chosen genre. Curated by Richard Duardo, Francesco X. Siqueiros and Armando H. Torres, the raison d’être of the exhibit is to “reposition ‘Xicanism@’ as a viable genre in which any artist influenced by our community can participate”.

Instead of commenting on the artistic merits of individual artists participating in the show, I’ve decided to critique the exhibit as a whole, it is after all a collective statement billed as a survey, and my assessment can also be read as an evaluation of the current state of Chicano art and its possible directions. For those expecting to find powerful, evocative images that expand and deepen the legacy of Chicano art as an activist oriented art form, Xican@ Demiurge is likely to disappoint. While the works largely adhere to the tradition of Chicano art as a bulwark for figurative realism, the stance of the show is decidedly postmodernist - offering little in the way of narrative, history or direction.

For those familiar with Chicano art - please bear with me. Since this web log has an international audience, I feel the need to reveal the obscure and esoteric secrets of the “Xican@” chronicles so that readers new to these histories can better appreciate what I’m going to say about Xican@ Demiurge. Historically, the Mexican American population in the western states of the U.S. endured the pains of a suffocating discrimination. In the mid-1960s, they rose to claim equality with the larger society, a struggle that entailed the right of self-identification - leading to the use of the term, “Chicano.” As a cultural identity and signifier of ethnic pride, “Chicano” is today more or less accepted by the mainstream, though the term is still evolving. Currently a number of Chicanos spell the word with an “X”, connecting their identity to ancient indigenous roots - in the Nahuatl language, the Aztecs called themselves Mexica (pronounced: meh-Shee-ka). Also, the gendered structure of the Spanish language has been rejected by some, who favor the written plural forms “Chicano/a” or “Chican@”.

Now that those basic facts have been made somewhat clear, allow me to open another can of worms - exactly what is Chicano art and how shall it be defined? Xican@ Demiurge attempts to form a definition, but as a survey it is stilted and woefully incomplete, in part because it’s extremely difficult to present the totality of Chicano aesthetics with a single exhibit. Chicano art necessarily arose from the tumultuous 60’s as a combative aesthetic in opposition to a system of racial, cultural, and political oppression - a cultural renaissance that took place concurrently with the Mexican American community’s political awakening. The California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives of the University of Santa Barbara, California (CEMA), describes the aesthetic in the following manner: “Chicano art is a public and political art, proclaiming and expressing public and social concerns in its themes and subjects.” That is not a description I’m inclined to argue against, though in all fairness it is one in need of further elaboration.

In their curatorial statement, the organizers of Xican@ Demiurge wrote: “Art that is innovative and aggressive in its approach is critical to developing a contemporary aesthetic that is representative of the 21st Century Xican@ artist. The cultural climate influencing this particular group today is not the same as the one that triggered ‘El Movimiento Chicano’ of the 1960’s.”

I’m left wondering how the art presented in this exhibit could be considered “aggressive in its approach”, unless the direction is one of insistent self-absorption, political retreat and apathy. The curators of Xican@ Demiurge take pains to point out that conditions currently facing Chicanos are not those of the 60s, which is true enough - but this seems an excuse not to address current realities more than anything else. Of the twenty-one artists in the exhibit, only one displayed a work addressing an overt political issue - and that attempt was not very engaging. The show nearly exists in a vacuum, as if one million Latinos did not march in the streets of Los Angeles to protest repressive immigration laws on May 1st, 2006, or that Latinos in the U.S. armed forces are not being wounded and killed in huge numbers in the pointless occupation of Iraq. The powerful tradition of Chicano art as an irrepressible force for social justice is almost nowhere to be found in this exhibit.

Historically Chicano Art - or Chicanarte - has served as the basic building blocks of a people’s self-esteem. It has exhorted the Mexican American community to stand, take pride in itself, and to resist the forces of subjugation. The earliest expressions of Chicano art were in support of the United Farm Worker’s Union and their leader César Chávez, as the battle to bring decent working conditions to California’s agricultural workers raged in the mid-60s, but artworks soon addressed other concerns - from cultural identity and immigration, to poverty and the Vietnam war. Chicanarte was - and remains - community based and tied to the culture, folk traditions and histories of people on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border. Over the years Chicano art has become nuanced, accepting a multiplicity of styles and interests without becoming diluted, it has embraced performance, installation, and conceptual forms without abandoning its essence. But the works in Xican@ Demiurge are ripped from any traditional moorings, they float freely as a hodge-podge informed by minimalism, low brow, hip-hop and yawning personal introspection.

It is certainly true that we are not living in the 1960’s, but I fear the curator’s statement represents a depoliticalization of Chicano art, which up to this point has persisted as a genre known for social engagement and activism. I’m not arguing here that Chicano art is nothing more than the artistic expression of social concerns, or that Chicano artists must be yoked with continually producing political imagery, far from it. It’s my firm conviction that every artist must be free to explore and create without constraint, but at the same time the legacy of Chicano art cannot be ignored. One could say that Chicanarte is nothing more than art created by Chicanos - but it has always been so much more than that. To remain viable it must remain true to its history, otherwise, why continue to create works under its banner?

The word “demiurge” has as its root, the Greek “demiurgus”, meaning quite literally an “artisan in the service of the people.” The word can also refer to an autonomous and powerful creative force. But the artworks in Xican@ Demiurge seem out of synch with these definitions, and so it’s difficult to imagine them representing an independent force, let alone one that is in the service of the people.

Spirit of the Children is an unusual art exhibit at L.A.’s celebrated Ave 50 Studio. Timed to kick-off the city’s Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead celebrations, the exhibition features artists that have created works in homage to children “who have died an untimely death due to preventable disease, gang warfare, abuse and war.” Kathy Mas-Gallegos, the director of Ave 50 Studio, asked me to create a painting especially for the exhibit, so I produced a small oil I’ve titled, War Child - a piece memorializing the children who have been slain in warfare. I’m pleased to have my painting shown alongside artworks by Edith and Rob Abeyta, Roberto Delgado, Kathi Flood, Clement Hanami, David Andres Kietzman, Betsy Lohrer Hall, Ricardo Munoz, and John Paul Thornton.

Those expecting a quintessentially traditional Día de los Muertos exhibition are in for a few surprises. I say this because the show contains art of an international theme - with some works created by non-Chicano artists. Japanese American artist Clement Hanami is currently the Art Director of L.A.’s Japanese American National Museum, and a Commissioner on L.A.’s Cultural Affairs Commission. His mother is a hibakusha (atom bomb survivor), and his works often explore the topic of atomic war and its aftermath. Hanami will be presenting a special work at Ave 50 that commemorates those young people who died in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some might be surprised at the inclusion of John Paul Thornton in a Day of the Dead exhibit, but after examining his Missing Children paintings, his participation seems almost obligatory. Over the years, Thornton has produced hundreds of expressionist oil paintings based upon the photos of missing children found on the flyers and mailers that end up in our mailboxes.

The full title of the Ave 50 exhibit is actually, Miccailhuitontli - Spirit of the Children. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, Miccailhuitontli (Meek-Hail-We-Tontly), or “Little Feast of the Dead” - was the name of the month the Aztecs devoted to the celebration of death and departed ancestors. The month was lorded over by Mictecacihuatl, the Goddess of Death and the Queen of the Underworld. The observances began with remembrances for departed children and ended with commemorations for deceased adults. After the Spanish conquest of 1519-1521, these Aztec traditions and rituals evolved into today’s modern Día de los Muertos celebrations.

The Opening Reception for Miccailhuitontli - Spirit of the Children, takes place on Saturday, October 14, 2006, from 7 to 11 pm. The exhibit will run until November 12th, 2006. Avenue 50 Studio is located in the Highland Park area of L.A., at 131 North Avenue 50, LA., CA 90042. Phone: (323) 258-1435 or visit the gallery website at, www.avenue50studio.com.

At Work: The Art of California Labor, opened with a fabulous Artist’s Reception on June 17th, 2006. Well over 500 art lovers from all over Southern California and beyond made their way to the event at the historic Pico House Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, located on the founding avenue of the city, Olvera Street. At Work is of course an artistic chronicle of labor in California, and a large part of the evening’s festivities were about celebrating that history - not a dead past, but a living history that continues to evolve and grow. To make its point, the exhibit presents a balance of paintings, prints, and drawings alongside a number of photographic works - with contemporary artworks shown alongside creations from times past.

A good portion of the artworks in the At Work exhibit are by Latino artists and focus on Mexican American workers, who have undeniably played a major role in the saga of California labor. Their contributions as told through the eyes of artists are well represented in the exhibition; from the varied silkscreen prints celebrating the United Farm Workers, to the latest installation piece by Ricardo Duffy commemorating L.A.’s million person march in support of immigrant worker’s rights.

At the opening I had an opportunity to talk with one of the show’s exhibiting photographer’s, Gil Ortiz. He told me about the photograph he had taken in 1974 of an agricultural worker bent over in back-breaking labor, digging in California’s fields with a short-handled hoe, a tool that caused arthritis of the spine and ruptured spinal disks for those who used it. The New York Times picked up and published Ortiz’s photo for an article about California’s United Farm Workers union. Of his photo, Ortiz said: “In one picture, I sought to capture the inhumanity of ‘el cortito’, the crippling short-handled hoe that had come to symbolize stoop labor and the cruel exploitation that the farm workers were fighting. My work follows one history in the tradition of documentary photography, that of allowing images to capture the inhumane treatment of human beings, particularly the exploitation of labor for profit.”

The Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times, Paul Conrad, saw Ortiz’s photo and based a cartoon upon the arresting image, giving the photographer full credit for inspiring the drawing. Conrad’s cartoon depicted a farm worker as the victim of a violent crime, showing the laborer lying face down amid cultivated rows of crops - a hoe brutally stuck into his bloodied back like a spear. Ortiz’s photo and Conrad’s cartoon brought attention to the misery of agricultural workers, and finally in the mid-70’s the California Supreme Court banned the use of the tool. I’m continually asked if art makes a difference, if it’s a force capable of changing society, and if it has any power at all outside of itself. I can think of no better example of art’s transformative energy than Gil Ortiz’s photograph - and this exhibit is filled with such images.

At Work is not just a consideration of Latino workers and the art created about them, it is after all dedicated to the entire working class in all of its diversity. Some of the strongest artworks in the exhibit were created by those American artists belonging to the social realist school of the 1930’s, when art and social concerns were inextricably linked. There is much to be learned from the social realist artists of the 1930’s, and if just a tiny amount of their idealism, commitment, and vision were to rub off on us we’d all be better off.

Of particular interest to me are the two photographs on display by Dorothea Lange, a personal hero of mine. Her photos are of factory workers leaving their shift, exiting their workplaces en masse, tired looking but also proud, possessing an inner strength that makes them appear implacable. Gazing at the workers in Lange’s photos, looking smart in their work clothes and wearing optimistic faces or grim expressions - I was overwhelmed with empathy, but also struck at how different U.S. workers seem today. Solidarity, my own painting on display in the exhibit, in part addresses that dissimilarity - but globalization, technology, and other changes in the work environment not only continue to place great pressures upon labor, they challenge artists to comprehend and help make clear the evolving situation.

At Work almost serves as a study guide when it comes to introducing artists from the 1930’s like Louise Gilbert, Consuelo Kanaga, Fletcher Martin, Emmy Lou Packard, Henrietta Shore, and others who created profound images focusing on workers, the poor, and the disenfranchised. But this part of the exhibition is ironically its weakest point. The traveling exhibit was originally put together by the California Historical Society and the San Francisco State University Art Gallery, and it includes a few digital replicas of historical works that frankly could have been better reproduced. The curators of the Pico House exhibit, Marianna Gatto and Shervin Shahbazi, made up for this flaw by bringing in a number of local and national artists to enhance the core traveling exhibit - an augmentation that makes the show stand out.

On Saturday, July 15th, I’ll be presenting an artist’s panel discussion and slide show at the Pico House Gallery on the history of artist’s responses to the issues of labor in California. I’ll be joined by photographers Sheila Pinkel and Slobodan Dimitrov, who have long careers photographing workers on the job and in union organizing activities. A question and answer roundtable with the panelists will follow the lecture. For more information on At Work, including a full listing of participating artists, a schedule of public events, and maps to the Pico House, please visit: www.art-for-a-change.com/exhibits/atwork.htm.

The photographic works of longtime Los Angeles artist Diane Gamboa, are available for viewing on the official KCET website as part of their Unpopular Culture series. Gamboa’s photos focus on L.A.’s punk underground of the late 1970’s - specifically, the role young Chicanos played in the scene as band members and fans. It’s hardly ever mentioned or pointed out, but the Mexican American community of California had much to do with the founding of the state’s original punk scene - something Gamboa’s photos so beautifully illustrate. Bands like The Brat, Plugz, Bags, Stains, Nuns, Los Illegals, and the Zeros broke new ground - bringing fresh rhythms and sensibilities to a scene usually thought of as the turf of disaffected white youth. Back in the late 1970’s, after seeing the likes of the Plugz perform a twisted anarchistic cover version of La Bamba by Ritchie Valens, and witnessing the maniacal stage persona of Bags front woman Alice Bag (Alicia Armendariz) - my life was literally changed forever.

Ironically, after we must have crossed paths a million times as denizens of L.A.’s early apocalyptic punk scene, I only just met Gamboa in late 2005 when we both exhibited artworks at Both Sides of the Border - a major exhibit of Chicano and Latin American art held here in L.A. Along with Gamboa’s photos, the KCET Unpopular Culture webpage sports a solid list of links - including a link to my own Art For A Change website for its documentation of the punk portraits I created as a participant in the 1970’s L.A. punk scene. KCET also supplies links to the websites of Alice Bag, The Plugz and many others, downloadable music by The Brat and Thee Undertakers, and related useful resources.

Turning the Frida Kahlo legacy into a brand name tequila is the final straw when it comes to the “Fridamania” cult promoted by the unscrupulous capitalists the artist railed against her entire life. Isolda P. Kahlo, the niece of the famed Mexican painter and the founder of “The Frida Kahlo Corporation,” is marketing Frida Kahlo Tequila, claiming the right to license products using the artist’s name and image. The clear glass bottles of tequila are ornamented with a portrait photo of Kahlo on the label, her image surrounded by garlands of flowers, and a wooden bottle stopper engraved with the artist’s image.

Both Sides of the Border is a major Los Angeles exhibit of works by Latin American and Chicano artists being organized by Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art in Eagle Rock, California. Works by over fifty exceptional artists will be on display - making this one of L.A.’s blockbuster shows. I’m pleased to say that I’ll be showing a number of new paintings at this exhibit. Some of the well known artists in the show representing the Latin American school include, Jean Charlot, Wilfredo Lam, and one of my personal favorites, Francisco Zuniga - whose amazing drawings and lithographs of Mexican Indian peasants I’ve long admired. Fellow L.A. artists in the show representing the Chicano school include, Gronk, Patssi Valdez, Frank Romero, Leo Limon, Diane Gamboa, Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, and many other talented individuals too numerous to list here.

Both Sides of the Border opens with an Artist’s Reception on Saturday, November 19th., from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. During the opening a talented duo called MEXIKA will perform indigenous music using traditional instruments. The sounds they produce conjure up memories of the ancient Maya and Aztecs - an audio experience not to be missed. In addition, there will be a number of educational presentations and activities held in conjunction with the exhibit. For a complete listing of events, as well as previews of artworks, click here. On Friday December 16th., starting at 8:00 pm, I’ll be giving a slide lecture on the subject of Chicano identity, aesthetics and activism. The lecture will trace my personal journey as a social realist artist whose works are deeply rooted in the Los Angeles experience.

I’m particularly looking forward to the gallery’s “Meet the Artist” series, where on Saturday, December 17th at 8 pm, I’ll unveil two brand new oil paintings I’m presently working on. The small paintings are sweet, romantic portrait studies of women involved in L.A.’s Chicano/Latino street festivals. I’m quite pleased with how the works are coming along, and I’ll undoubtedly be working on them until their preview.

Both Sides of the Border runs from November 19th, 2005, through January 7th, 2006. Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art is located at: 2012 Colorado Blvd., in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California 90041 - the cross street is Maywood (View a MapQuest map.) Business hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Phone: 323-259-1563.

Starting on October 8th, 2005, I will be exhibiting work at, Emerging From Aztlán, the third annual Chicano art show to be held at the da Center for the Arts in Pomona California. This awe-inspiring exhibit showcases some of the very best Chicano artists from around Southern California and beyond, and offers an exciting amalgam of styles, concepts, and directions. It’s also an amazing opportunity to see the artworks of well established professionals alongside those of up and coming talents. This show is a blockbuster on many levels, and if you think you know what El Arte Chicano is all about - be prepared to have all of your preconceptions sacrificed to Aztec gods. I wrote the following artist’s statement concerning the exhibition:

“From my point of view, Emerging From Aztlán is more than the title of a Chicano art show hosted by the dA Center for the Arts in Pomona. It is a phrase that recognizes, celebrates and authenticates Mexican American art and aesthetics. It is also a proclamation that Chicano artists are expanding well beyond the imaginary boundaries that surround them, to influence the international artistic community. In presenting my artwork at Emerging From Aztlán, I hoped to engage people in an important and long overdue dialog that might begin with the following points - What is Chicano art; How are its aesthetics distinct; Where is it going?

I have submitted to the exhibition a life-sized chalk pastel drawing on paper depicting an anonymous Chicana. She holds an image of the Aztec moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui (or, She Who Wears Bells on Her Cheeks, which is also the title of the artwork.) The goddess was so important to the Aztecs that they placed an enormous stone sculpture of her at the base of their most prominent temple pyramid. The ancient emblem of the goddess has become a ubiquitous cultural icon for contemporary Chicanos and Mexicanos, and so an appropriate image for me to draw. While my artwork addresses the issue of modern cultural identity - it also focuses on the significance of historic memory - interlocking concepts that instill Chicano art with special meaning.

[ Detail of "She Who Wears Bells on Her Cheeks" - Chalk drawing by Vallen.
Click here for a larger view. ]

I view Chicano art as being intrinsically combative in nature. Not in an overt political respect per se; although political militancy was definitely part of early artistic output, but confrontational in the sense that it represents a refusal to the dominant culture of the United States. In that regard, Chicano art has always been a form of resistance. Its role in helping to define a people and community; of furthering the struggle for full civil and human rights; of popularizing myths, traditions and experiences - is far from being over.

Today we face new and daunting challenges, and once again history invites artists to play the part of shamans, prophets and organizers. But while looking towards the future we must never abandon the past, for it is a source of great strength and wisdom. The Aztecs spoke of Aztlán (”The place of the White Heron”), as their mythical point of origin. Once beginning the exodus from their fabled homeland - believed by more than a few to have been located somewhere in the Southwestern area of what is now the United States - the Aztec people wandered for some two hundred years before settling in the valley of Mexico. At this moment in the 21st Century there is a dire need for an innovative and contentious Chicano Art movement, and as we continue on our modern day quest for empowerment, enhanced self-esteem and social justice - we shall find it as we come Emerging From Aztlán.”

Emerging From Aztlán runs from October 8th, 2005 to November 20th, 2005. Patrons are invited to a special sneak preview Artist’s Reception on Saturday October 8th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, where serious collectors can meet the artists and have the first opportunity to acquire artworks. Music and refreshments are also part of the event. Tickets are available for $20 each (Phone: 909-397-9716.) The general public is invited to two free Artist’s Receptions - Saturday October 8th and Saturday November 12th, 2005 - both held from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The da Center for the Arts is located at: 252-D South Main Street, Pomona California 91766-1630. For more information, visit their website, at: www.dacenter.org

[ "Dia de los Muertos" Oil on wood panel. Mark Vallen 2003. ]

I’m a participating artist in Dia de los Muertos: The Journey Home, the nineteenth annual Day of the Dead exhibition at Chicago’s Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum. I’m honored that the institution chose to exhibit my oil painting in its group show of forty artists from across the U.S. and Mexico. This is the nation’s biggest Day of the Dead art exhibition, and it’s being held in the largest Latino arts institution in the country. The museum sees Mexican culture as “sin fronteras” (without borders), and so presents works by artists from both sides of the border. With more than a million and a half Chicanos/Mexicanos in the Chicago area, the museum has been the cultural heart for that community since its founding in 1982. However, since its inauguration the institution has become a world class museum. In 1990 it presented the very last solo exhibition that famed Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo would hold in his lifetime, and in 1992 the museum signed a historic sister-museum agreement with El Museo del Templo Mayor (the fabulous archeological museum in Mexico City that holds all artifacts from the main Aztec Temple).

It was originally the indigenous people of Mexico who honored the dead through ritual celebrations. The Aztec held festivals of the dead that were presided over by the Queen of the underworld, Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Dead). During these celebrations music, dance, flowers and special foods were offered to the deceased. After the conquest of Mexico by the Conquistadors, Spanish priests found that they could not eradicate the religious practices of the subjugated Aztecs - so they attempted to co-opt them. The church moved the date when the Indians celebrated the dead (late July and early August), to coincide with the Catholic Día de Todos Santos, or All Saints Day (celebrated during the first two days of November.) Despite the Spanish attempt to transform the pagan carnival into a Christian observance, the festival retained much of its original indigenous character - even to this day. In the late 1960’s the holiday became popular in the American southwest as part of a growing self-awareness on the part of Mexican Americans. Today it is celebrated by Chicanos and Mexicano wherever you might find them - and its enchanting appeal continues to attract new adherents.

In keeping with the traditions of the holiday, and as part of The Journey Home exhibit, a number of artists have been invited by the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum to build elaborate decorative shrines that honor the deceased. On this occasion the alters will pay homage to three artists from Chicago who passed away this year: Allen Stringfellow, Ed Paschke, and Carlos Cortéz (who donated his collection of artworks and personal papers to the museum). Dia de los Muertos: The Journey Home runs from September 23rd, 2005 until December 11th, 2005. The museum is located at 1852, West 19th Street, Chicago Illinois 60608. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum’s website.