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I am co-curator and collective member of Electric Machete Studios (EMS). We have been committed Chican@/Latin@/Indigenous artists artists working in Minneapolis and St. Paul for years. In September 2015, we opened a flexible white box gallery space on the West Side in St. Paul. We feature contemporary and experimental work rooted in traditional Latin@ and Indigenous art methods. We believe that educating others on traditional art forms is critical for the survival of Chican@/Latin@/Indigenous histories and cultures. Intergenerational workshops, community art happenings (improvised performance events), and art exhibits serve as the foundation for highlighting social justice issues within our communities. Our work seeks to intervene in cultural displacement and racial inequities by offering alternative spaces, counter narratives, and community building opportunities for Chican@/Latin@/Indigenous people in the Twin Cities.
The Death of Neto
Ernesto "Neto" Ybarra’s newest series, “The Death of Neto,” is dedicated to the circular interplay between life and death. Referred to as “Neto” by family and friends from a young age, Ybarra’s exhibit seeks to shed the past. For Ybarra death does not evoke pain or harm. Rather, death serves to remind us that with each sunrise and sunset, moon cycle, or human passing — nothing is for certain. Born and raised in St. Paul’s West Side, Ybarra’s work blends colors into hybrid images, indigenous gestures, and snapshots of the everyday. His work draws from the Mexican Muralist Movement, the Chicano Art Movement, and Contemporary Postmodernism. Ybarra is part of Electric Machete Studios, a Mexican/Chican@/Latin@/Indigenous arts collective.
The exhibit will be featured at Icehouse from December 9, 2014 – February 9, 2015. Co-curated with Armando G. Gutiérrez .
Artist Ernesto Ybarra looks to shed old skin
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/12/08/ernesto-ybarra
Ernesto "Neto" Ybarra’s newest series, “The Death of Neto,” is dedicated to the circular interplay between life and death. Referred to as “Neto” by family and friends from a young age, Ybarra’s exhibit seeks to shed the past. For Ybarra death does not evoke pain or harm. Rather, death serves to remind us that with each sunrise and sunset, moon cycle, or human passing — nothing is for certain. Born and raised in St. Paul’s West Side, Ybarra’s work blends colors into hybrid images, indigenous gestures, and snapshots of the everyday. His work draws from the Mexican Muralist Movement, the Chicano Art Movement, and Contemporary Postmodernism. Ybarra is part of Electric Machete Studios, a Mexican/Chican@/Latin@/Indigenous arts collective.
The exhibit will be featured at Icehouse from December 9, 2014 – February 9, 2015. Co-curated with Armando G. Gutiérrez .
Artist Ernesto Ybarra looks to shed old skin
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/12/08/ernesto-ybarra
PALOMA: STORIES OF THE SOUL Work by Rebekah Crisanta
I had the honor of curating a solo show for emerging contemporary folk artist Rebekah Crisanta. Her work combines indigenous identity, traditions from El Salvador, and themes of spirituality and liberation theology.
I had the honor of curating a solo show for emerging contemporary folk artist Rebekah Crisanta. Her work combines indigenous identity, traditions from El Salvador, and themes of spirituality and liberation theology.
About the Exhibit:
“Stories shape experiences and experiences shape stories. From painful life events, such as the loss of a child, to negotiating issues of colonization, religion, and womanhood, Crisanta’s journey through grief illuminates the resiliency of the human spirit. Using mixed materials, intense colors, and varied textures, Crisanta’s stories are rooted in herstory of El Salvador, spirituality of the diaspora, and indigenous practices. Ultimately, Crisanta reminds us that art is a way to make sense of our experiences and heal the stories we carry.”
“Stories shape experiences and experiences shape stories. From painful life events, such as the loss of a child, to negotiating issues of colonization, religion, and womanhood, Crisanta’s journey through grief illuminates the resiliency of the human spirit. Using mixed materials, intense colors, and varied textures, Crisanta’s stories are rooted in herstory of El Salvador, spirituality of the diaspora, and indigenous practices. Ultimately, Crisanta reminds us that art is a way to make sense of our experiences and heal the stories we carry.”
