Indepth Arts News:
"Carmen Lomas Garza: A Retrospective"
2001-01-21 until 2001-04-15
San Jose Museum of Art
San Jose, CA,
USA United States of America
Carmen Lomas Garza: A
Retrospective premieres at the San
Jose Museum of Art prior to embarking on a
two-year national tour. The first
retrospective of this San Francisco-based
artist will feature work from the mid-1970s
to the present. Populated with people and
highlighting events from her childhood in a
rural South Texas barrio - birthday
festivities, faith healings, community
dances, and making banderitas (special
occassion tissue paper cut-outs) -
Garzas nostalgic works honor universal
commonalities of family and community
while remaining dedicated to her
Mexican-American heritage. In addition to
more than 30 paintings, the exhibition will
include a large-scale Day of the Dead altar
installation - the centerpiece of the
retrospective, 12 papel picado (paper
cutouts), and an artist book. Carmen
Lomas Garza: A Retrospective will run
through April 15, 2001.
Awakened to the Chicano movement in
1965 when a group of the United Farm
Workers marched through her hometown
of Kingsville, Garza is committed to the
realization of the movements goals
through positive images of their culture.
Coming from a position of affirmation
rather than resistance, Garza chose to
focus her efforts on enhancing a sense of
pride in the Mexican-American community
by emphasizing the importance of
everyday life. In a 1997 interview with The
Kansas City Star, she explained, I really
wanted to be able to communicate. I felt
that I could not afford to lose my
Mexican-American audience. Because at
that time there were a lot of Chicano
artists that were doing very strong
politically inspired artwork, and
sometimes the same Mexican-American
population felt it too painful to see that
artwork. Nobody else was doing anything
that dealt with just the ordinary everyday
life, and thats what I wanted to
concentrate on.
Often compared to the work of Grandma
Moses and Frida Kahlo, Garzas oil,
gouache, and acrylic paintings are
intentionally rendered in a naive, folk-art
style to convey her message. Her intricately
detailed, tiny figures have a magical,
storybook quality evoking a favorite
childrens picture book. In fact, Garza has
published four bilingual childrens books:
Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia (1990),
In My Family/En mi familia (1996), Making
Magic Windows (1999), and Magic
Windows/Ventanas magicas (1999).
Clothing and backgrounds are filled with
bright colors and joyous patterns - polka
dots, flowers, leaves, and geometric
shapes. Many of the paintings incorporate
large groups of figures (Garzas family and
neighbors) engaged in family and
community activities. For example, in
Cakewalk (1997), neighbors hobnob over
a long table filled with lovingly detailed
cakes, talk in small groups, or walk around
the chalked circle. This game, part of a
community event to raise money to send
Mexican-Americans to university,
exemplifies the supportive spirit of this
close-knit community.
Garzas paper cutouts are intricate
compositions of positive vs. negative
space. Garza has been creating papel
picado for more than 30 years, first
learning the craft from her grandmother,
who used them to design embroidery
patterns. Over the years, Garza has
refined and expanded the art beyond
simple childhood patterns with scissors
to dramatic and complex scenes
magically sliced from a single sheet of
paper. The culmination of Garzas papel
picado work is realized in a 5-x-8 foot
metal cutout entitled Ofrenda para
Antonio Lomas (1995-96), which for this
exhibition is incorporated into a vibrant
ofrenda, a Mexican ritual home altar that
welcomes visiting souls. Traditionally
installed on November 2, the Day of the
Dead, the artist allowed its inclusion
because it is a major component of her
oeuvre. The centerpiece of the exhibition,
this poignant image of her grandfather
watering his victory garden beatifully
illustrates Garzas primary focus - the
simple acts of life that nourish the spirit.
Growing up in South Texas, an area well
known for its oppression of
Mexican-American communities, Garza
experienced many racist incidents. She has
said that she emerged from high school
feeling confused, introverted and angry.
However, in her artwork Garza has
concentrated on positive childhood
memories. As a result, her art has the
capacity to heal the wounds of racism and
discrimination by reaffirming and
celebrating family, ceremony, community,
and tradition. Although Garza depicts her
own experiences and cultural heritage, the
work has universal appeal and makes
powerful connections to all cultures.
A long-time resident of San Francisco, Garza was born in Kingsville, Texas in 1948.
She earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas Arts and Industry University in
Kingsville, Texas in 1972; a Master of Education from Juarez-Lincoln/Antioch
Graduate School in Austin, Texas in 1973; and a Master of Art from San Francisco
State University in 1981. Her work has been exhibited widely in such venues as the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum
of American Art at Philip Morris in New York, and the Honolulu Academy of Art in
Hawaii.
IMAGE:
Carmen Lomas Garza, Flowery Words/Stories, Poems, History, & Wisdom, 1993, 36 x 28,
Collection of the artist, copyright and courtesy
of the artist
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