Description

A richly illustrated and personal presentation of the lives and careers of twelve Latin American artists in Minnesota

The art created by Latin Americans in Minnesota is as diverse as the homelands of these artists—an array of sculpture, paintings, photography, ceramics, films, murals, installations, and performance made by artists originally from Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, and Tejana and Chicano cultures. Exploring crucial themes of immigration, identity, and the preservation of traditions in diaspora, the twelve artists featured in this book share their stories and experiences candidly in interviews conducted by other Latino leaders and activists from Minnesota. These casual conversations reveal a unique and intimate perspective of this vibrant arts community. From the collectives that have united some of these artists in collaboration, to dynamic responses to social injustice and a vital presence in galleries, museums, and universities throughout the state, this volume shows how Latin American art is significant and vigorously active in Minnesota—with much more creativity still to come.

Artists: Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo, Guillermo Cuellar, Martha Gabriela Driessen, Selma Fernández Richter, Luis Fitch, Alondra Marisol Garza, Carmen Gutiérrez-Bolger, Gustavo Lira García, Dougie Padilla, Alonso Sierralta, Maria Cristina Tavera, Xavier Tavera.

Interviewers: Ta-coumba T. Aiken, Nancy Ariza, Roma Calatayud-Stocks, Carlos Carrasco, Sara Cluggish, Gloria Echevarría Portal, Juan Escobedo, Evonne Gallardo, William Hernández Luege, María Isa, Paola Nuñez-Obetz, Heather Rutledge.

About the Author

William G. Franklin, a curator and bilingual educator, has taught at Macalester College, Carleton College, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and St. Cloud State University. A native of Venezuela, he has lived in Minnesota for twenty-five years.

Rico Paul Vallejos is a writer, translator, and creative director. He taught multicultural communication at the University of St. Thomas.