Contemporary Art Month has been a staple in the local art community - every march - for the last 31 years.
A major part has been the CAM perennial, but not this year. The show was canceled after a flare up with the planned host, the Guadalupe Culture Arts Center.
The problem - no Latino artist was part of the exhibition. The out-of-state curator of the show chose a slate of all Caucasian females.
In an Oscar season known as #OscarsSoWhite, bringing cultural representation in the Arts to the fore, and in a city that is 60 percent Latino, the idea that great contemporary art couldn't be found in the Latino community is rubbing many the wrong way.
Guests:
- Jerry Ruiz, Executive Director of the Guadelupe Cultural Arts Center
- Jim Mendiola - director of the Cine festival - the oldest latino film festival in the nation
*We did invite the Contemporary Arts Month board onto the show, but they sent the following statement instead:
Due to commitments and scheduling conflicts of the board, Contemporary Art Month is unable to send a representative at this time. We would like to express our support for the mission of the Guadalupe Cultural Art Center, and for bringing this important cultural topic of underrepresentation to public consciousness. We hope to be available to engage in this important conversation at a later date.
