April in the mix - absolutearts.com

	IN THIS NEWSLETTER: Upcoming programming: Cesar Chavez Day Parade, Lunada Literary Lounge Studio 24 Presents: photo gallery and more In and around Galería: renovation photos, upcoming exhibitions, in the community __________________________________________________________________________
	UPCOMING PROGRAMMING Cesar Chavez Day Parade Saturday, April 20 12pm to 5pm \| $5 suggested donation After the parade at Dolores Park, join Galería and many more in the 24th Street Corridor for a special street festival! At Galería’s Studio 24 venue, join Michele from The Sugar Skull Gallery in producing a commemorative Cesar Chavez silkscreen, with images created by local youth. A suggested donation of $5 will snag individuals a print on paper, or on personal items (T-shirts, totes, or other like fabric). Additional materials will be available for print, such as patches and notebooks. All proceeds will benefit future Galería de la Raza art programming with youth. Merchant sidewalk sales, a classic car show, and live performances will be taking place on 24th between Treat and Bryant Streets. For more info on the parade >> RSVP on Facebook >> Lunada Literary Lounge In honor of National Poetry Month Thursday, April 25 7:30pm \| $5 admission Lunada Literary Lounge has been the Bay Area’s only bilingual literary ritual and performance gathering for over a decade. Held every month on the night of the full moon, Lunada is a community gathering where stories, food, songs, and spirit are shared. Each Lunada features community poets, local legends, visiting mystics, and other mero meros of the stage. April is National Poetry Month, and Lunada is proud to present poet Jade Cho hailing from Youth Speaks, Brave New Voices, CalSlam, and Poetry for the People at UC Berkeley. Also in our literary lounge, Lunada is excited to feature visual artist and storyteller Vanessa Solari Espinosa (Agana), who will be sharing tales of travel, evolution, and aerosol escapades via visual projection. Sign-ups at 7:15pm; first timers always welcome. Meet the artists >> Facebook >> __________________________________________________________________________
	NOW ON VIEW: STUDIO 24 PRESENTS A new program seeking to raise artist visibility, promotion of artwork sales Galería de la Raza has officially kicked off our new program Studio 24 Presents to warm reception. Inaugural artist Viviana Paredes’s works in Studio 24, on view now through the end of May, stem from a deep sense of belonging to something greater than the self. Paredes explores the disconnect modern society has with nature and the delicate interrelationships present in the natural world through her art-making process. Influenced by her grandmother Petra, a native of Chihuahua, México, Paredes was exposed to the ancient tradition of Curanderismo (a holistic healing practice that uses medicinal plants to aid physical and spiritual ailments), and this alternative method of healing is prevalent in her work as a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on sculpture and glass. Studio 24 Presents is a series of window installations and displays by local artists in our administrative offices. The program, providing an opportunity for artists to interact with the general public, also offers another point of entry into the organization apart from Galería’s exhibitions. See pricelist >> View works online >> __________________________________________________________________________ IN AND AROUND GALERÍA Closed for renovations Call for volunteers, photos now online We are in the home stretch! Galería has been closed to the public since mid-March working hard on scrubbing, painting, and building in our main gallery in the second phase of our facelift. Check out our renovation album and see what progress is in the works! We’re almost there in giving a dash of new energy to our venue, and can use more hands in the next two weeks – additionally, it is National Volunteer Month, and what better time to give your time than now? Galería is looking for volunteers between 12pm and 6pm from now through April 25, every day from Tuesday-Saturday. Even if you can spare only a few hours during the week, your assistance will be crucial! Some projects include painting, stripping, and prepping, as well as launching our new artist-in-residency workspace. Join us as a volunteer and experience the organization from a behind-the-scenes viewpoint. It’s no secret that much of the Galería’s success is in part due to the arsenal of volunteers who make our machine well-oiled!
	While We’re Closed Vic de la Rosa in the main gallery Even though Galería has been closed to the public, our space is still activated as GINAA and ReGen grantees have been using the main gallery to begin their projects. ReGen grantee, Vic de la Rosa, used the gallery space to interview Mission District residents for his upcoming exhibition which will feature a series of large woven art pieces. De la Rosa’s work recontextualizes Mexican sarape icon through his melding of traditional handcraft technique with modern technology. Depicting long-time residents and tech hub implants, de la Rosa’s work investigates the issue of gentrification in the Mission District. Due to debut in June, we will share behind-the-scenes photos on our Facebook. Save The Date: Next Exhibition Empujando Tinta Taller Tupac Amaru: 10 Years of Collaborative Activism Opening reception Saturday, May 4 Galería is pleased to present Empujando Tinta, an exhibition celebrating ten years of works by Taller Tupac Amaru. A collective art studio founded in 2003 by Xicana and Bay Area artists Favianna Rodriguez and Jesus Barraza, Taller Tupac Amaru has been producing political posters and art prints to national and global acclaim while also revitalizing the screen printing medium. In 2007, Melanie Cervantes joined the studio, and all three artists have been in collaboration or work directly with multiple service and advocacy organizations, including Justseeds Artists' Cooperative and the Consejo Gráfico. Don’t miss this historic opportunity to see influential works covering immigration, socioeconomics, political justice, and people’s stories of resistance and resilience from around the globe. __________________________________________________________________________
	IN THE COMMUNITY Mission Girls at The 8th Annual Poems Under The Dome Thursday, April 18 5:30pm \| Free admission Lunada’s March featured performers, Mission Girls, have been invited to read at Poems Under the Dome at City Hall! They alongside numerous poets and performers will read their favorite poems or perform their own. San Francisco’s Poet Laureate, Alejandro Murguía, will kick off the festivities by reading the first poem. Each of the performances are apportioned by lotteries held at San Francisco poetry open mics throughout the month of April. Mission Girls’ Poems Under The Dome appearance is a continuation of the Roots & Wings writers workshop, a Galería 2012 Grantwriting for Indigenous and Native American Artists (GINAA) project led by Sarah C. Jiménez, focusing on exploring dimensions of their Latino heritage through writing and story-telling. Don’t miss out on one of San Francisco’s biggest celebrations for National Poetry Month. For more info >> __________________________________________________________________________ Galería programs are made possible by the generous support of: The San Francisco Arts Commission; Grants For the Arts/Hotel Tax Fund; The California Arts Council, a state agency; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; The James Irvine Foundation; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture - NALAC Fund for the Arts/Nescafé Clásico; The San Francisco Foundation, The Zellerbach Family Fund; and Galería members. Blog • Facebook • Flickr • Twitter