First there was the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, then there was the Olmec exhibit at the de Young Museum.
Now, get ready for “American Sabor,” an exhibit at the San Francisco Main Library on Latino music from the 1940s to the present, which kicks off its 12-city tour in San Francisco on Aug. 27 with a VIP reception and concert featuring local Afro-Cuban jazz master John Santos and his Sextet.
The exhibit, which runs until Nov. 13, focuses on the major cities where Latino music flourished: San Francisco, New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and San Antonio. It will include lots of photographs and historical information, screenings of documentary films about Latino music and listening stations where some of the most famous artists talk about their music.
I trust that all of the information will be bilingual and that lots of money will be spent on publicizing this event—like advertising in Spanish-language media, colorful banners throughout the city, including the Mission, colorful posters, etc.
I am hopeful the exhibit planners will wage a fierce campaign to get the word out. Every effort should be made to get Latinos to the exhibit, even if it includes a shuttle service from the Mission for the elderly.
In the meantime, check out the exhibit’s interactive website www.americansabor.org for lots of fun things to do, like listening to oral history interviews, downloading lesson plans, listening to the “American Sabor” jukebox and producing a song on the mixing board.
For more on this exciting exhibit, see upcoming issues of El Tecolote.
Continuing on the local front… join me at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park on July 15 when I will serve as Master of Ceremonies for a fundraiser for the Community University Empowerment Fund—a tribute to internationally renowned artist and early El Tecolote contributor Rupert Garcia, hosted by the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University.
Rupert was a student at SFSU during the student-led strike and he designed many of the strike posters at that time. He also became a leader of the Chicano art movement and he eventually taught at the college.
There will be a free 6:30 p.m. lecture by Rupert in the Koret Auditorium, followed by a private reception ($25 a ticket) in the Piazzoni Murals Room. The reception includes a silent auction of an exclusive piece produced for the tribute and signed by Rupert.
In 1995, Rupert was inducted into the SFSU Alumni Hall of Fame and also contributed artwork that accompanied stories in the early years of El Tecolote.
By the way, Rupert’s art is on exhibit at the de Young through July 17. For tickets to the reception, call (415) 405-2571. See you there!
Word has it that a new, all-Latino-cast film by Summit Entertainment has just been released. Miguel Orozco, president of Nueva Vista Media says “A Better Life” is a heart-warming and powerful story about a hardworking immigrant wanting a better life for his son.
Originally called “The Gardner,” the script has been circulating around Hollywood since 1989, but ironically, most of us won’t see it because, as of June 24, it has been released to only four theaters – two in Los Angeles and two in New York City.
Check out the trailer on YouTube. Then, next time you go to your favorite theater, ask them about the film and encourage them to present it because, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, 43 million U.S. Latino moviegoers purchased 351 million tickets in 2010 —a $2.7 billion market!
Lastly, I want to encourage El Tecolote readers to join radio host Chata Gutierrez in the lobby of the Mission Cultural Center on Saturday, July 2 where she will be broadcasting live from 12-3 p.m. on KPOO (89.5 FM). Reportedly the lobby will be cleared for dancing when Chata plays some of the latest salsa hits on her program “Con Clave.”
This is also a good time to stop by and say hello to Chata who has been battling liver cancer for several years. So, enjoy the show and enjoy Chata, our local hero.