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Artist Spotlights

Panel, Hijas de Malinche: Intergenerational Chicana Perspectives, Denver Art Museum

Conversation with poets and artists who will share the different approaches to their exploration of Malinche’s story, her impact on them and Malinche’s enduring legacy, in celebration of the exhibition "Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche," now on view at the Denver Art Museum. "Hijas de Malinche: Intergenerational Chicana Perspectives," will feature Cecilia Alvarez, Karen Martinez, Carmen Tafolla and Maria Cristina Tavera and will be moderated by Terezita Romo.

https://vimeo.com/691881086/9740def969

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Ann Benrud

MESTIZAJE: INTERMIX-REMIX ON VIEW MARCH 19–JUNE 12, 2022 March 11, 2022—St. Paul, MN—The M is excited to announce Mestizaje: Intermix-Remix, an exhibition co-presented with Grupo Soap del Corazón, which features eight Latinx artists (identifying as Chicano, Chilean, Colombian, Mixteco, Mexican, and Mexican-American) as they explore what it means to claim a mixedrace identity consisting of both Indigenous and European descent. The concept of mestizo (having Spanish-Indigenous ancestry) originated in the sixteenth century as part of a racial designation system created by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers in what is now considered Latin America. Today, the violent and lasting impacts of colonization can be difficult to fully comprehend. Without seeking definitive conclusions or definitions, artists Marcela Rodríguez Aguilar, María José Castillo, Luis Fitch, Bobby Marines, Dougie Padilla, Maria Cristina Tavera, Xavier Tavera, and Vlocke Negro explore questions of ancestry and identity. This exhibition, on view in the M’s public-facing windows and skyway entrance, is the first iteration of a long-term collaboration between the M and the art collective Grupo Soap del Corazón (art that cleanses the heart).

Grupo Soap has been centering artistic expression of Latinidad in the Midwest for more than twenty years. The collective advances the work of local, national, and international Latino/a/x artists with the intention of inspiring political, economic, and racial justice through the doorways of art. Curated by Dougie Padilla and Xavier Tavera, founders of the artist collective Grupo Soap del Corazón. Artwork pictured above: Xavier Tavera, El Duelo/The Duel, 2021 Marcela Rodriguez Aguilar, Pacha Map, 2022 Dougie Padilla, Mestizo, 2021 Vlocke Negro, Nunca nos Conquistaron, 2022 MESTIZAJE: RELATED PROGRAMS EXHIBITION DETAILS March 19–June 12, 2022 Robert and 4th streets and Skyway EcoLab Entrance 350 Robert Street North St. Paul, MN mmaa.org

EXHIBITION KICK-OFF l MESTIZAJE: INTERMIX-REMIX Thursday, March 31, 6:00–7:00 p.m., CTD Zoom l mmaa.org Celebrate the opening of the exhibition by joining featured artists Dougie Padilla, Xavier Tavera, and Maria Cristina Tavera for a casual conversation exploring the history of the art collective Grupo Soap del Corazón (art that cleanses the heart), founded by Dougie Padilla and Xavier Tavera in 2000. CONVERSATION l MESTIZAJE: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Thursday, May 12, 6:00–7:30 p.m., CDT Zoom l mmaa.org Join featured artists and scholars for an in-depth conversation about what it means to be mestizo today. Panelists will share reflections on their ancestors, the significance of racial mixing through migration and colonization, the dynamics of self-identification, and the evolving meaning of mestizaje.

NORTHERN SPARK: POSTERS AND PATCHES POP-UP Saturday, June 11, 9:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. 350 Robert Street North entrance, St. Paul, MN Stop by the M’s entrance in downtown St. Paul during the Twin Cities late-night arts festival Northern Spark and pick up a free poster designed by Grupo Soap artists. Screen print your own patch and join a sidewalk guided tour of Mestizaje with local curator and educator Billy Franklin, offered in English and Spanish. Pre-registration is required for guided tours. Visit mmaa.org for more information. Minnesota Museum of American Art • mmaa.org Minnesota Museum of American Art (the M), based in St. Paul, is one of the oldest visual art organizations in Minnesota, with roots stretching back to the 19th century. Recognizing that art is a tool for facilitating understanding across difference, the M is dedicated to amplifying the power of art and artists who represent diverse perspectives, identities, and lived experiences. First introduced as an innovative way to present engaging exhibitions while remaining closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the M will continue to exhibit work in its window galleries as well as in the skyway, virtually, and at partner facilities, in anticipation of commencing construction work on the final phase of the M’s facility. Minnesota Museum of American Art • 350 Robert Street North • St. Paul, MN 5510 • mmaa.org #

CONVERSATION l  MESTIZAJE: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Karen Mary Davalos , Olga González with moderator Xavier Tavera, curator of Mestizaje: Intermix Remix, for an in-depth conversation about the complexities of mestizaje and its impact on Latino/a/x identity.

https://vimeo.com/709551460/e6cd970bf7?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=49559939

Thursday, March 31, 6:00–7:00 p.m. CDT

Join featured artists Dougie Padilla, Xavier Tavera, and Maria Cristina Tavera for a casual conversation exploring the history of the art collective Grupo Soap del Corazón (art that cleanses the heart), founded by Dougie Padilla and Xavier Tavera in 2000.

https://vimeo.com/694946271/18b416c069?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=49559939

5-Minute Museum: Maria Cristina Tavera's

"Huelles I and II," Oglethorpe Museum

October 8, 2021

5-Minute Museum: Maria Cristina Tavera's

"Harvesting Hope," Oglethorpe Museum

March 18, 2021

Meet the Co-op: Tina Tavera

Highpoint Center for Printmaking

December 29, 2020

Lideres Latinos Oral History Project, Minnesota Historical Society

Interview (audio/transcript) with Maria Cristina Tavera

Artist Talks

Discovering Your Creative Voice: An interview with artist Tina Tavera

Interview with Maria Cristina Tavera by Stephan Dupont

More coming soon.