ChicaChic Opening Reception and Panel Discussion January 22, 2011

ChicaChic, an art exhibit showcasing five leading Chicana visual artists, opens January 22, 2011 at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

The opening reception includes a panel discussion featuring the exhibition artists in conversation with artist, curator and MacArthur fellow Amalia Mesa-Bains.

ChicaChic includes images that honor the concepts, themes, and iconography of the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s but reflect a world that is drastically changed. The works in the show include a large canvas by Ana Teresa Fernandez depicting a woman "washing" the beach at the U.S.-Mexican border with her hair; it's a striking image that demands both that we engage with the current debates over immigration, and the politics of women and labor.

In addition to Fernandez, ChicaChic features the work of Angelica Muro, Mitsy Avila Ovalles, Favianna Rodriguez, and Shizu Saldamando. The work of these five artists varies greatly, but they all are responding visually to the shifting needs of their communities in novel ways. The exhibit is guest-curated by Raquel de Anda, formerly of Galeria de la Raza. "ChicaChic is about stepping beyond the boundaries of identity, challenging stereotypes about what it means to be Chicana," says de Anda. "It's about the fluidity of identity and the need for new kinds of images in a fast-paced, media-saturated society."

As part of ChicaChic, each of the five artists is creating an original poster for a public art campaign, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The public will see the posters starting in January 2011 at BART stations around the Bay Area.

Official Website: http://www.ciis.edu/News_and_Events/Event_Calendar/ChicaChic.html