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San Francisco-based printmaker Juan Fuentes, whose body of work spans more than four decades, will have a solo exhibition depicting the struggle of farm workers beginning later this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisual Tribute: A Dialogue with Cesar,\u201d which opens on April 23, will coincide with the annual Cesar Chavez Parade and Festival.<\/p>\n
Much of Fuentes\u2019 work is thematically tied to the United Farm Workers movement. He grew up in a family of farm workers who settled in the Salinas Valley, and as a young boy often worked in the fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really been a subject I keep addressing and doing in my work,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cI\u2019ve never exhibited a body of work specifically identified with the farm workers struggle. It\u2019s an honor to be invited to do an exhibit on the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone thinks it\u2019s great to honor Juan for all the work he\u2019s done in the community,\u201d said Georgiana Hernandez, Acci\u00f3n Latina\u2019s executive director. \u201cHe\u2019s spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on the farmworker movement, and his prints will bring an interesting perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuentes began his career as a printmaker after graduating with a degree in painting and drawing from San Francisco State University in 1975. His interest in printmaking grew during his studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had taken a class with Rupert Garcia,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cHe was my first Latino professor in the art department there. I built a relationship with Rupert. We became good friends, and he was the one who introduced me to printmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuentes\u2019 subject matter, which he describes on his website as \u201cdedicated to supporting and being part of a global movement for social change,\u201d also took shape in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went on a solidarity trip to Cuba in 1973-74 with one of the Venceremos Brigades. While there I was influenced by the graphics, images and posters being produced, especially those by Rene Mederos,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cThe colorful, flat style Mederos worked in resonated with me. All the artists I saw there were doing some really dynamic work, and the pieces always had something to do with the everyday Cubans\u2019 struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduation, Fuentes began working as a printmaker at FITS printing on Valencia Street. He also became involved as a volunteer for El Tecolote newspaper and did work as a poster maker for Acci\u00f3n Latina\u2019s Encuentro del Canto Popular, an annual celebration that promotes Latin American music with a social justice message.<\/p>\n
Over the next few decades, Fuentes used his artistic skills to give back to the Mission community as an artist and teacher. His posters and prints from this period were often in solidarity with such struggles as the Chicano movement and the fight for equality for the African American, Middle Eastern, Asian and Native American peoples.<\/p>\n
In 1997, while working as an art teacher at the San Francisco County Jail\u2019s Arts Program, Fuentes began working in relief printing, a style of printmaking where a plate or block is carved and protruding surfaces are then inked to produce a print. Up to that point, most of Fuentes\u2019 work had been silkscreen prints. The prints exhibited in the show are done in both mediums.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuan\u2019s an incredible printmaker who does beautiful prints,\u201d said Malaquias Montoya, a fellow printmaker and friend of Fuentes. \u201cHe gives back to our community through his art because the community members have always been the ones who inspire him. He\u2019s remained steadfast in this commitment, and he\u2019s not only gained my respect but the respect of a lot of other artists as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2007, Fuentes has worked out of his studio, Pajaro Editions, in the Bayview district. He\u2019s also a founding member of the Bayview\u2019s\u00a0 94214 Gallery and serves as a mentor to many emerging Bay Area artists.<\/p>\n