The scene is a reflection of the community that has allowed MCCLA to flourish in the Mission as a hub of artistic expression for over 45 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[These pieces] are going to be relevant to people hundreds of years from now, their relevancy doesn\u2019t go away,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cThere\u2019s unemployment, housing issues, immigration, incarceration issues that are still impacting our people. The work that\u2019s here symbolizes resilience and resistance to those things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The posters cover a variety of social and political issues, ranging from the Salvadoran civil war and the infamous 1973 Chilean military coup, to calls for respect for women\u2019s bodily autonomy and better housing conditions in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like going down memory lane for me,\u201d Dinorah Salazar said, recalling seeing some of the posters from her time working in the Mission. \u201cArt is important to any community. It\u2019s a mark of time, a mark of consciousness, and of what people are going through. Even though [younger generations] might not know about some of the political events, they should come see what it was about \u2026 Art is timeless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fuentes, who curated the exhibition with co-curator Calixto Robles and artist Art Hazelwood, pulled from Mission Grafica\u2019s extensive archive as well as private collections and other Chicano art collectives for the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MCCLA Executive Director Martina Ayala insists that the flames of injustice that first sparked the creation of MCCLA and Mission Grafica continue to inspire and ignite younger generations of artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs our artists get older and become elders, it’s important to pass down that tradition to the new generation \u2026 and to educate our young artists on our cultural and historical legacy so that we can continue to grow and move forward as artists of social change,\u201d Ayala said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The MCCLA has continued to develop its programs in hopes of improving accessibility to the arts in the community. The cultural center now offers 36 classes a week, many of which are free or low-cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MCCLA was first established in 1977 by a group of artists and activists, who, inspired by the local movements of the time, aspired to create a haven for the artistic endeavors of the community. It\u2019s the self-proclaimed largest Latinx cultural center in the continental United States and functions in San Francisco today as a historical, legacy organization. It was also recognized as a designated San Francisco landmark in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis center was created with love and with passion for justice and equity,\u201d Ayala said. \u201cWe came out of inequity and made sure our people had a place to go so that our culture could be preserved and promoted. It\u2019s this same spirit that keeps us going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While many pieces in the exhibition were made implementing traditional methods of screen printing and other mediums, Fuentes encourages younger artists to take advantage of newer technology to continue to push for change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe bottom line is that these works were used to advance political struggles or social issues,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cThose things can still be done, and we still need that \u2026 we did it our way during that time period because those are the tools we had. Now, there are even more tools \u2014 the window of expression is even wider for youth to use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the tools used for artistic expression evolve, so does the social messaging behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La Llorona’s Sacred Waters, a recognizable piece by artist Juana Alicia, for example, flips the protagonist of a famous Mexican folktale into a woman who weeps for having been cut off from safe drinking water. The image was the basis of the current mural on York and 24th streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[Art] helps give people a voice,\u201d Choppy Oshire said, an attendee of the opening reception. \u201cI don\u2019t like art that\u2019s pretty just to be pretty, I want art to say something to be able to make people see community concerns. It\u2019s nice to see the history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As MCCLA approaches nearly five decades of service to the community, Ayala says more support is always needed for new equipment, building repairs, and paying artists and teachers equitable wages for their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weekly classes teach the culture of multiple Latin-American countries, such as Nicaraguan folklore, Brazilian Carnaval drumming and Afro-Peruvian dance. Screen printing is also taught by Robles on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve always been resourceful and resilient and made the best with what we have, but it is also time for us to aspire for more and have what we deserve,\u201d Ayala said. \u201cThis new generation needs all the tools possible to continue our legacy and continue to promote our cultural heritage [\u2026] If we don\u2019t invest in Latino artists, who will?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mission Grafica, 46 Years, Community, Culture and Politics will run at the MCCLA until June 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf someone wants to learn about their people’s history, it’s here on these walls,\u201d artist Juan R. Fuentes says, gesturing out to the gallery before him. At the May 5 opening reception of Mission Grafica\u2019s latest exhibition at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA), decades worth of posters and prints fill the room, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":56107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"by Eva Ortega","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[375,23822,1700,23720],"coauthors":[23947],"class_list":["post-56104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-activism","tag-arts","tag-mission-cultural-center-for-latino-arts","tag-mission-grafica","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Community](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Mission-Grafica_8290.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&quality=89&ssl=1\")
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