COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 20, 2023) — The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition “Mi Gente: Manifestations of Community in the Southwest” on September 1, 2023.
Drawing from works in the collection stewarded by the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, “Mi Gente: Manifestations of Community in the Southwest” considers community within a landscape that has been shaped by colonization and migration. Focusing on works by Chicanx/a/o, Hispanic, and Mexican American artists based in New Mexico and Colorado, “Mi Gente” considers the politics and complexities of community, including those perceived as outsiders.
“This exhibition is an incredible opportunity to engage the collection in new and exciting ways while also making space for our community to come together,” said Savanah Pennell, assistant curator of collections.
For the curators, the spiritual, familial, and artistic groups represented in the artworks within the exhibition demonstrate that community is elastic — it is flexible, with individuals frequently weaving in and out of multiple roles and factions. This fluidity points to how traditions and shared experiences from Mexico manifest in the United States, alluding to the transnational nature of many communities. For some who have made the journey across the border or live in the borderlands, the purpose of community is often rooted in safety and survival. Furthermore, the exhibition explores how making one’s presence known through art, fashion, car culture, or political movements — to assert one’s community — can be an act of resistance.
Artists included in this exhibition are Miguel Gandert, José Rafel Aragón, Emilio Lobato, José Guadalupe Posada, José de Gracia Gonzales, Nasario López, José Dolores López, George López, Gloria López Cordova, Sabinita López Ortiz, Marie Romero Cash, Anita Romero Jones, Senaida and Emilio Romero, Félix López, Krissa María López, Teresa Archuleta-Sagel, Charles M. Carrillo, Luis Tapia, Ramón José López, Tony Ortega, Sylvia Montero, Carlos Frésquez, Daniel J. Salazar, Jerry Vigil, Nicholas Herrera, Luis Jiménez, Arenal Angel, and Flores Aurelio.
“Mi Gente: Manifestations of Community in the Southwest” is curated by Assistant Curator of Collections Savanah Pennell with support from Curator of Contemporary Art Katja Rivera. The exhibition is generously supported by The Anschutz Foundation and Colorado Creative Industries.
RELATED EVENTS
First Friday Opening
Friday, Sept. 1, 5–8 p.m.
Join us for the opening of “Mi Gente: Manifestations of Community in the Southwest.” More details for this event will be announced soon on our website.
Lowrider Show & Opening Celebration
Saturday, Sept. 2, 12–4 p.m.
FAC Parking Lot
Join us for a lowrider car show and celebration for the whole family! This event is free, and will include kid-friendly art activities, live music, a performance by Ballet Folklórico de Barajas, and food for purchase from local businesses.
Performance by Su Teatro and Panel Discussion with Artist Carlos Frésquez
Saturday, Sept. 9
FAC Music Room
Join us for a performance by Denver-based Chicanx theatre group Su Teatro and for a panel discussion with artist Carlos Frésquez. More details for this event will be announced soon on our website.
VISIT THE FAC MUSEUM
Museum free days are offered the second Saturday and third Friday of each month.
We are open late every Friday with free admission 5–8 p.m. on first Fridays and 10 a.m.–8 p.m. third Fridays.
ABOUT THE FINE ARTS CENTER MUSEUM
The FAC Museum’s permanent collection of approx. 17,000 objects showcases the rich history and vibrant contemporary cultures of the Southwest and the Americas, containing works of art from Native America, Hispanic and Spanish Colonial New Mexico, and 20th and 21st-century America.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
The story of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) began with the founding of the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919. A museum, performing arts theatre, and community art school, the FAC is a pillar in the cultural community of the Rocky Mountain West providing innovative, educational, and multi-disciplinary arts experiences designed to elevate the individual spirit and inspire community vitality. For more information about the FAC, visit devfac.coloradocollege.edu or follow on Facebook @CSFineArtsCenter.
Land Acknowledgement
Colorado College occupies the traditional territories of the Nuchu, known today as the Southern Ute Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Northern Ute People, who lost their beloved homelands due to colonization, forced relocation, and land theft. Other tribes have also lived here including the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Comanche — and notably, continue to do so, along with many other Indigenous Peoples. To actively seek social justice, we acknowledge that the land continues to hold the values and traditions of the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors, elders, and youth — past, present, and future.
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