• March 29th, 2024
  • Friday, 09:20:09 AM

Year of La Chicana Opens at History Colorado


Photo: Courtesy History Colorado Arlette Lucero works on a piece featuring trader and homesteader Teresita Sandoval at the History Colorado Center on August 1, 2019. Historian Deborah Espinosa delivers a lecture on Sandoval in Pueblo on November 15. Image: History Colorado.

National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off at the History Colorado Center on September 21 when celebrated Colorado Chicana artist Arlette Lucero reveals murals depicting three pivotal Colorado Chicanas.

Her project at the state’s flagship history museum, the History Colorado Center, also presents a crowdsourced collage project featuring Chicana activists.

Year of La Chicana’s mission is to celebrate and honor La Chicana past, present, and future; to share her story with a wide range of audiences; and to connect the core issues of the Chicano Movement with present-day issues of social justice, identity, and inclusion. Forthcoming events include a Chicano murals conference on October 19 and a lecture at Pueblo Community College on homesteader Teresita Sandoval on November 15.

“History Colorado aims to be a place where communities connect to tell their own stories,” said Marissa Volpe, Director of Community Engagement. “Hosting Year of La Chicana illuminates our state’s vibrant Chicana history, a vital story that helps us create a better future.”

El Movimiento Advisory Committee is comprised of Colorado Chicano activists who have worked to direct the creation of the El Movimiento exhibit at History Colorado since 2014. Originally a temporary display, El Movimiento is now a core exhibit on long-term view at the History Colorado Center. It uses artifacts, photos, archival video footage, and activists’ own voices to tell about the struggle for labor rights, student activism, the Vietnam War, and more.

Members of the El Movimiento Advisory Committee include Adrianna Abarca, Magdalena Aguayo, David Atekpatzin Young, Ramón Del Castillo, Deborah Espinosa, Juan Espinosa, Antonio Esquibel, Priscilla Falcón, Cecilia Flores, Gail Gonzales, Charlotte Gonzales, Nicki Gonzales, Ricardo La Fore, Lucha Martínez de la Luna, Emanuel Martinez, Rita Martínez, Ernesto Torres, Roberto Rey, Carlos Santistevan, Pauline Rivera, Daniel Salazar, and Ruth Sánchez.
Arlette Lucero earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and completed two years of graphic arts through the Community College of Denver. She has taught art education for over twelve years in Colorado and is an active volunteer and current member at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council of Denver. Lucero also has over 30 years of experience as a fine artist, professional graphic artist, children’s book illustrator, and Chicana crafter. She has been involved with a number of local nonprofits as a Mentor Teacher Artist, bringing her into many schools, libraries, and recreational facilities. These include ArtReach, ArtsStreet, Colorado Folk Arts, Journey Through Our Heritage, Kidzart, Museo de las Americas, Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, Mizel Museum, and Voz y Corazon as well as a variety of local neighborhood organizations. Lucero has also been an art teacher at Escuela de Guadalupe for seven years.

A speaker’s bureau is also available for presentations to groups and classes. Information is available at HistoryColorado.org/chicana. An online group also facilitates conversation at facebook.com/groups/yearoflachicana.. For more info about the exhibit: www.HistoryColorado.org,or call 303-HISTORY.

For More Colorado Hispanic Heritage News: WWW.ELSEMANARIOCOLORADO.COM