The Virgin, Saints, and Angels

Unidentified workshop, Cuzco, Peru, The Child Mary Spinning
Courtesy of Tucson Museum of Art

Tucson, Arizona may not be on the radar for fine art exhibits but the Tucson Museum of Art's latest exhibit The Virgin, Saints, and Angels: South American Paintings 1600-1825 from the Thoma Collection should not go without recognition.

The exhibit features 55 oil paintings from the Viceroyalty of Peru portraying religious depictions for the purpose of catholic conversion. During this time, imperialistic countries like Spain would send Viceroyalties to countries, like Peru, they had conquered to rule for them. This collection is set of paintings sent over for the purpose of reminding those who had been conquered who they were being ruled by across the sea.

Many of the paintings, most from Quitor, Peru, have unknown painters or workshop artists, due to the fact that the Italian and Spanish painters who went to South America influenced the native artists; mestizos, Creoles, Europeans or indigenous peoples, who adopted their painting styles.

The Virgin, Saints and Angels comes to Tucson from the Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University and the family Thoma collection. A husband and wife bought the first two small oval shaped paintings from a gallery in Chicago, which began their exhaustive search to locate other paintings like them.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable and memorable aspects of this expansive collection are the frames of the paintings themselves. So ornate and intricate the frames range from gold carved spirals to double layered line textured black frames. They are masterpieces in and of themselves. In fact, as I strolled through the winding gallery, the most frequent comments I overheard were about the painting's frames.

The paintings all had an overall similar look with muted yet brilliant colorization combined with extreme background darkness. Burgundy, deep blues, forest greens, browns and gold run throughout each and every piece. I was amazed at how shiny some of the paintings were. Most all had elements of gold weaved into the canvas that stood out as if they were gold stars and crowns themselves. I don't understand it, but the golds were just so gold.

"The Last Judgment" stood out the most as it was the largest in the collection, about nine feet by five feet. The painting depicts the passage between heaven and hell. At the top of the painting the colors are subdued and ethereal with Jesus in the center. Rows of clouds hold apostles on either side watching over the entire scene. Naked lines of people trail into heaven's entry way. At the same time the colors transition at the bottom to dark foreboding blacks and reds. Another row of naked people are forced by black winged demons into the mouth of a black hairy monster with fiery eyes and nose (as best I can describe). Overall the paintings has depth and perspective but not the traditional style of perspective.

Another painting that most blatantly depicts the influence of South America is titled Noah's Ark. It is oil on canvas by an unidentified artist, which is a rare depiction of the Old Testament. The smaller painting employs bright colors and and trails of animals and men and women walking up to Noah's Ark. The South American influence can be seen with the inclusion of an armadillo, a turkey and an indigenous family.

The Tucson Museum of Art is located at 140 N. Main Ave.
520-624-2333

The Virgin, Saints and Angels: South American Paintings 1600-1825 from the Thoma Collection runs through April 29.

www.tucsonmuseumofart.org

Pan's Labrynith or Oscar's Pathway

Photo Courtesy of Picturehouse

"Pan's Labyrinth" or “El Laberinto del Fauno” is an exquisite film of the fantasical tale the mind of a young girl weaves when her mother brings her to the home of a fascist leader in Spain in 1944. Written, directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro of Mexico, “Pan's Labyrinth” won its first critical acclaim at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and is now nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Make Up and Best Art Direction.

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Guillermo's film making offers a breath of fresh air into the American cinematic world that has been lacking in ingenuity, depth and lasting conviction in the past years. “Pan's Labyrinth” bridges two unlikely worlds; fantasy and war drama seamlessly, so the audience follows willingly and enthusiastically. It's like if the love child of "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" had their own love child with the love child of "Motorcycle Diaries" and "Saving Private Ryan."

The storytelling is imaginative, the lighting is exquisite, but most of all the cinematography is breathtaking; fresh and mesmerizing. Chock full with universal symbolism and themes, "Pan's Labyrinth" pushes the envelope of what to expect out of a film. The best way to understand is to see it for yourself.

Photo Courtesy of Picturehouse

With the American film industry run by a monopoly of like minded, aged and gendered cowards, box office sales were down by six percent in 2005 according to Nielson Entertainment/NRG reports, American movie goers have been under whelmed with their box office selections.

But not only does this film and others like it offer something enticing to audiences, it offers something equally as enticing to film industry execs; a bankable new genre of film makers, producers and actors.

The earliest Latino actors were seen on film playing characters outside their own race like Italians. Audiences began seeing representations of Latinos in film in the mid 1900s where males, when seen on screen at all, were depicted as the "tragic mulatto" or a down trodden, low intelligence and income sidekick, and women were portrayed as sultry, fiery, sex driven objects. Latinos were behind the camera in even less instances than in front.

Needless to say the film industry has come a long way, but it would be wise for them to come an even longer way. Perhaps this year's Oscars will be an incarnation of 2001 where African Americans dominated as major category winners with Halle Berry winning Best Actress for Monster's Ball and Denzel Washington winning Best Actor for Training Day.

With Latino's nominated in categories such as Best Actress (Penelope Cruz-"Volver"), Best Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza-"Babel") and "Babel" nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, the Academy has set the stage for another "sweep" type year. Whatever the connotation of this situation means to you, it represents well due recognition on the part of the Academy.

The truth will be told Sunday February 25.

Trailer:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0457430/trailers

Review:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth/

Film Site:

http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

Playing the Border

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Funk-Weyent

As I scoured the internet looking for a border art related activity I could attend this weekend while I was in Phoenix, I stumbled across the SonicAnta project website. It took me a while to figure out exactly what Tucsonan Glenn Weyent's sound project entailed, but it didn't take me long to realize that the artist I was reading about, was actually my former journalism Features Writing professor. If I never believed how small of a world Tucson was, I definitely believed it now.

According to his website www.sonicanta.com, Mr. Weyent began his project in one form or another about twenty years ago. As best as I can describe it SonicAnta is a music undertaking in which Mr. Weyent plays the metal border wall separating Nogales, Mexico and the United States using modified chopsticks and a cello bow. Literally. He set up a stethoscope type microphone to capture the vibration sounds of the wall, in addition to playing the metal wires of the fence with his bow. The result, an electronic, guitar feedback, alien sounding compilation of audible vibrations and wavelengths that defies comparison. A soundtrack for Mars, if you will. But like Mr. Weyent says, "the instrument IS the message" so maybe the alien description is not so far off; eerie but effective.

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Funk-Weyent
By definition Sonic means of or pertaining to sound and Anta is a sanskrit meaning border or end of known territory, according to the website. Mr. Weyent considers himself a “sound sculptor,” trying to capture the feel of the border in a way that no other type of artist has tried before. As an advantageous undertaking the SonicAnta project feels and sounds distant. Upon first listen or even second and third listen, the mind has a difficult time deciphering what it's being exposed to. But distance is a symbolic description considering what the border represents to populations on both sides. We, Mexicans and Americans, are so close in that we are only separated by a wall, and yet worlds upon worlds away in terms of culture, ideals, opportunities and acceptance.

It makes me wonder... what is a wall? I'll keep going with my definition repetition this time. According to www.dictionary.com (honestly one of my favorite websites) wall means an immaterial or intangible barrier, obstruction or any various permanent upright constructions having a length much greater than the thickness. If these simplistic definitions decide what we consider a wall to mean, than why have we built this "wall" up, so to speak? America is not the most accepting of countries and based on our history our track record backs up that assertion pretty accurately (ie: Civil Rights movement, the American Indians, and the Japanese internment camps).

However, definitions are subjective. So why not change the way we think and view "the wall?" John Watters thought of it as "just another brick in the wall" after all. In any case, I think this is what Mr. Weyent is getting at with his project. This is another attempt at figuring out what the border means and what it should become. We have quite a debate on our hands, but perhaps taking abstract glances at these defined and potential meanings of the border can break through some of the roundabout bureaucratic discussions that seem to be getting nowhere.

Mr. Weyent lives in Tucson, is a freelance journalist and an adjunct journalism professor at The University of Arizona. He can be contacted at glenn@sonicanta.com or checking out the website www.sonicanta.com.

Some important links:

SonicAnta’s feature on NPR’s “All Things Considered”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5482919

Article in the Phoenix New Times

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2006-11-09/music/avant-garde-the-border/

SonicAnta’s MP3s:

America Waits

http://www.sonicanta.com/audio/GLENN_WEYANT-AMERICA_WAITS.mp3

Clear Light

http://www.sonicanta.com/audio/GLENN_WEYANT-CLEAR_LIGHT.mp3

Passage

http://www.sonicanta.com/audio/GLENN_WEYANT-PASSAGE.mp3

A Barrio Boutique

Nestled in a remote area just south of the UA campus is a street coined The Lost Barrio that is bursting with raw art and underground creativity. After living in Tucson for three years, I was surprised to learn about this unique and valuable area of Tucson while working on a story last year. Located on Park Avenue just south of Broadway Boulevard is a short block lined with one of a kind shops on both sides of the street, including an Asian inspired furniture and home store, a vintage home decorating warehouse, a Mexican cafe and a Hispanic home furnishing showroom, Rústica.

With every nook and cranny filled with trinkets, dishes, Catholic relics, lighting fixtures and furniture, entering Rústica is like walking right into a street shop in Southern Mexico. President Guberto Platt, who manages the shop is originally from Sonora, Mexico but came to Tucson some years ago to attend the university. He said most of the pieces in the twenty-year-old store are hand picked from Southern Mexico, but some of the shop’s over flowing merchandise comes from Peru.

Even the entryway walls are covered with brass plated mirrors, brightly colored hanging crosses and paintings. Walk up a few steps and the sight is overwhelming. Dark wood, authentic tables are covered with stacks of hand painted, intricately designed plates, bowls and cups. Armoires are filled to the brim with Oaxacan wood animal figurines, Virgin Mary paintings, and various colors of glass spheres.

Most of Rústica’s customers are looking for one of a kind, themed pieces to decorate their home. Seasoned decorators and amateurs alike flock to the Lost Barrio and Rústica in particular to search for way to bring a piece of Mexico into their homes. The authentic pieces are not going to be found in your local Roomstore showroom or even Cost Plus, and are reasonably priced considering how valuable they can be for a homeowner looking for just the right thing.

Only in a place like Tucson could you find a showroom that brings Mexico to us without the inconvenience or expense of travel and shipping. Every inch of the store from the walls to the ceiling to the furniture houses trinkets to treasure. It will take some effort but the work is well worth the pay off if you really want your place to stand out.

Rustica is located at 200 South Park Avenue
520-623-4435

The LA Times wrote an article about the Lost Barrio Disrict April 9, 2006. You can find it on their website latimes.com

Borderlands Theater

The Borderlands Theater is uniquely Tucson. In its 21st year, the non-profit organization is fast becoming a theater company known for its education and production of theater involving the diversity of southwest influences. After an eight page spread in American Theater Magazine, which, for those non-theater enthusiasts is like the Rolling Stone for music snobs or The Economist for business men, The Borderlands Theater is on the map for progressive theater companies across the country. Although their focus is mostly on Chicano related issues, they also have crossover coverage of the LGBT community and are considered an activist theater. Their body of work for this season includes "A Visitor's Guide to Arivaca," which examines the lives of those whose situation interacts with the border, "Gaytino!" a musical comedy of a man's journey in the 60s and 70s from Hollywood, to New York and back including Chicano history and the gay experience and "A Tucson Pastorela," the story of the birth of baby Jesus written by one of the theater's own employees. Their upcoming production running April 5th through the 22nd is "Hippie Mexicana" a world premiere comedy of a family who finds an unexpected archaeological site in their family's old home. However, their next performance will be a staged reading where actors will read potential plays for The Borderlands Theater in front of a live audience with minimal stage movement and sets.

The Borderlands Theater represents something that is needed in the southwest region and especially in Tucson. Even in an artist driven community like Tucson, The Borderlands Theater stands out for its unique portrayals of Hispanic culture, people and issues. It is important to have an artistic outlet for Latinos as well as have a venue devoted to socially challenging works.

But perhaps one of the most notable aspects of The Borderland Theater's work is not their commendable theatrical performances or their innovative choices of work, but rather their education outreach program. The purpose is to serve the community and youth in providing them with special performances, audience talkbacks as well as a partnership with The University of Arizona College of Humanities to provide students with well researched study guides. The Borderlands Theater is doing everything right to serve a Hispanic dominate community in Tucson.

The Borderlands Theater office is located at
Centro Cultural
de las Americanas
40 W. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85701

Box Office Phone: (520) 882-7406

Fax: (520) 884-4264

Check out http://www.borderlandstheater.org/ for more information

Picture Perfect Polarization

It seems to me there is no resolution in sight for our border issues. I find the more I read, the less I understand and the more I search for answers, the more complicated the issues become. I don't see these issues as black and white as the sides have seemed to divide themselves. There is more to these issues than aligning with the philosophies of the Minutemen or tree hugging liberals. And so I felt at a loss. In an attempt to spark my interest in writing about this topic , I decided to turn to the arts for inspiration.

A good artist friend of mine, whose opinion on anything artistically related I value strongly, told me about a photography exhibit at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art called The Border Film Project/El proyecto fronterizofotografico. The exhibit was created by three men in an attempt to show the disparity among the two perspectives on the border issues; those of the Minutemen and the migrants. They gave disposable cameras to various groups of Minutemen and migrants and instructions on how to mail the cameras back to the creators. The results? A compilation of over 2,000 truly realistic portrayal of the ongoings at the Arizona/Mexico border that is like nothing I have seen.

The exhibit is set in a room of dark gray painted walls, which is in stark contrast to the walls of exhibit itself of a matte white. Snap shot size photographs, with a few larger versions, scatter the walls of the enclosure, in the style of a family photo album. This is almost essentially what the exhibit is, except the different points of view become so glaringly obvious even without the use of captions or titles. The center of the exhibit is a walled off space that runs a short film about the project, showing the creators explaining in both English and Spanish, what they were asking of the camera holders.

What is so mesmerizing about the photos are their honesty. Some of the photographs are of remarkably high quality and it would be difficult to say whether or not they were professionally taken. They are varied, ranging from photographs of a pair of grotesquely blistered feet, a man jumping a border wall, joyous group snapshots, and portraits of the camping life of the Minutemen. The simplicity of the exhibit and the photographs themselves tell an objective story like nothing else you'll get from the media or professional artists. There is no agenda, it is just simple, visual documentation that may not shed any light on issues up for debate, but offer an honest portrayal of real stories.

The exhibit is located at SMOCA at

7374 East Second Street

Scottsdale , AZ 85251

Phone: 480-994-ARTS

Email: smoca@sccarts.org

Web: www.smoca.org

The exhibit runs through Sunday January, 28.

For an interview on KJZZ, NPR News Station, go to http://kjzz.org/news/arizona/archives/200609/borderfilm