The Mexican Museum invites the public to visit this local San Francisco treasure to learn about and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Latinos through art. This invitation is especially significant now as the Museum and the local Latino community gear up for Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15-October 15, 2011.
The Mexican Museum, located at Fort Mason Center, Building D in San Francisco, is the first museum of its kind outside of Mexico to feature exhibits focused solely on Mexican, Mexican-American, Chicano and Latino art and culture. Its collection includes over 14,000 objects – from ancient archaeological artifacts from the 15th century Pre-Hispanic era to bold contemporary art – spanning thousands of years of culture in the Americas.
A goal of The Mexican Museum is to foster a dialogue, through art and creative expression, where all people can learn about the lives and experiences of the Latino people, past and present. Originally a museum for showcasing the aesthetic expressions of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, in the years since its founding in 1975 that concept has evolved to include the artistic perspectives of Latinos from other cultural backgrounds.
Now at The Mexican Museum: On display through April 1, 2012, Images: Independence and Revolution includes 19th-20th century art and photography that pays tribute to the Bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence in 1810, which is celebrated September 16, and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The storyline for this timely exhibit – told through objects drawn from Colonial Art, Mexican Folk Art, as well as Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Mexican American Fine Art – also reflects current global events where revolution, the yearning for independence and harsh responses to activism are seen in the news today.
Among the many pieces included in this exhibit are works by the renowned Mexican social realist artists known as “Los Tres Grandes”: Diego Rivera (1886-1957); José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) and David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1975). The colorful, polychrome ceramic popular art of Candelarió Medrano López (1893-1986) and sepia-toned prints of the work of Mexican Revolution photographer-journalist Augustín Victor Casasola (1874-1938) are also on display. Notable contemporary Mexican American artists represented are Santa Barraza, Luis Jiménez, Carmen Lomas Garza, Enrique Chagoya and Rupert Garcia. The exhibit is featured in the Peter Rodriguez Permanent Collection Gallery.
Coming Soon – Hispanic Heritage Month: Several new art exhibits and events have been scheduled, including the Tequila Don Julio Collection, which opens to the public on September 23, and La Catrina fundraiser on October 29.
The Mexican Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and is located at Fort Mason, Building D, in San Francisco.