Exhibits

In addition to our annual events, we also have a number of touring exhibits that have been displayed in various institutions across the state of Texas.

Rare Newspapers of the 60s and 70s as Chicano Nation-building

This exhibit includes: (1) Front-Page posters of Chicano-themed Newspapers of the 60 and 70s (2) publishers and writers of said newspapers and (3) film screening of related interviews. Goals of events: (1) Provide a snapshot of a history of literature (Chicano newspapers) that demonstrates the social and cultural resiliency of farmworkers that settled in Northern sectors of the US; (2) highlight the glaring social and political issues facing such communities; and (3) provide students of Art the visual language using in these early newspapers, such as the cartoons in each newspaper issue.

Fauna and Flora Embedded in the Maya Huipil Garment: Insight on Cultural Heritage of Central America

Artifact brief description: Huipil(pronounced wee-peel) are the traditional blouse worn by Maya women. The huipil are handwoven on a backstrap loom and traditional Maya designs are woven into the cotton fabric or embellished with embroidery.The proposed events: (1) Maya Huipil fabrics exhibit, ten huipils (2) three Zoom-based lectures; and (3) art education workshops, two lectures. Goals of proposed event: (1) provide students of Humanities a rare insight on the field of ethnography as related to ceremonial Maya fabrics and (2) engage students in discussions with Presenter relating to transnational travels and essential preparations when conducting ethnography. Examples below.

Molas of the Cuna Indigenous Communities of Panama, Central America: Masters of Linear Configurations on Cloth

Artifact brief description: Molasare simple yoke-type blouses richly decorated by intricate needlework. Mola can mean the blouse that is daily wear for Kuna (sometimes spelled Cuna) women but most often refers to its front or back panel. They have been made for about a century.In Dulegaya, the Guna's native language, "mola" means "shirt" or "clothing". The mola originated with the tradition of Guna women painting their bodies with geometric designs, using available natural colors; in later years these same designs were woven in cotton,and later still, sewn using cloth bought from the European settlers of Panamá.The proposed events: (1) Mola fabrics exhibit, ten specimens (2) Zoom-based lectures, three lectures; and (3) art education workshops, two lectures. Examples below.

A Touring Exhibit and Mural Artists’ Talks Connected to Nephtali de Leon’s “Molcahete Cosmico” Mural

The proposed events: (1) Exhibit of Nephtali de Leon’s “Molcahete Cosmico” mural and (2) Mural Artists’ Talks to include Nephtali de Leon, San Antonio, TX), Hector Gonzalez (Mission, TX) and Raul Valdez (Austin, TX)

Mural Artists’ Talks (virtual via Zoom.com):

Nephtali de Leon, “Chicano Aesthetics Considerations on Creating ‘Molcahete Cosmico’ Mural”

Hector Gonzalez: “Inclusion of Youth in Mural Painting As Means to Avoid Future, Mural Desecration”

Raul Valdez: “Gentrification in Austin, Texas’ Predominately Chicano Community: Navigating Social Politics to Minimize My Murals Created at Various Elementary Schools”

(Artist Resumes of above muralists available on demand by host site)

A Touring Thought Exhibit of Jesus Cantu Medel, M.Ed., Museum Director/Artist: A Chicano Intellectual Shoemaker: Ethnographic Expeditions in West Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom

"My writings are a travelogue by a museum director, one that brings the world of museums to the arm-chair folk art collector. The reader will be held in glaring suspense when reading about the remote places where I collected folk art for Museo Guadalupe Aztlan. Many times, I was not far from life-threatening circumstances, such as flying over the Atlantic Ocean to reach Europe and the African Continent during seemingly unceasing thunder storms that could have disabled the plane. I hope you will gain a visual panorama of the week-by-week accounts of the cultural terrains also reflected in my journals."

-Jesus Cantu Medel M. Ed.

The proposed events: (1) Exhibit of posters of enlarged field notes (no less than 15 posters) of Jesus Cantu Medel’s ethnographic expeditions in West Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom and (2) three lectures by Mr. Medel on each country visited focused on Museum Studies.

Goals of proposed event: (1) provide students of Humanities a rare insight on the field of ethnography as related to historical and ceremonial footwear and (2) engage students in discussions with Presenter relating to transatlantic travels and essential preparations when conducting ethnography.

A Content Creator of a Chicano-themed Oral History Project: Jesus Cantu Medel, M.Ed., and the Sembradores de Aztlan Oral History Project: Focus on Iconic Figures of Early Chicano Intellectuals of Chicano Studies

"Houston, March 23, 2015: Museo Guadalupe Aztlan, in conjuction with the Chicano/a Studies Network, Houston, Texas, launched a first-ever oral history project that is documenting via film iconic figures of the Chicano/a movement, 60’s and 70s, who still survive in many parts of the southwest US. Focus has been on Houston, Texas. Time is of essence as many of these individuals are in their senior years withailing health. (Some of the interviewees have deceased subsequent to recording them). Videos were shot with Super 8 camera, and they vary in length from 20 minutes to one hour. Interview took place at office spaces, homes, universities, colleges, and my own home. (Donations are sought from the general public for purchase of used digital, theater-quality video camera)."

The proposed events: (1) Exhibit of posters of enlarged field notes (no less than 15 posters) of Jesus Cantu Medel’s ethnographic expeditions in West Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom and (2) three lectures by Mr. Medel on each country visited focused on Museum Studies.

Goals of proposed event: (1) provide students of Humanities a rare insight on the field of ethnography as related to historical and ceremonial footwear and (2) engage students in discussions with Presenter relating to transatlantic travels and essential preparations when conducting ethnography

Dia de los Muertos Observance: Photo-exhibit, Workshop and Film Screenings

The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.

Artifact brief description:The proposed events: (1) Exhibit of posters of enlarged field notes (no less than 15 posters) of Jesus Cantu Medel’s ethnographic expeditions in West Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom and (2) three lectures by Mr. Medel on each country visited focused on Museum Studies.