CSRC Newsletter - February 2017

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 5
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
In last month’s newsletter and in The Huffington Post I wrote about cardboard. The LA Art Show featured Louis Hock’s a wall – a 95-foot-long wall made from cardboard “bricks” and that cut through the performance and installation space. The piece was imposing, requiring a walk-around in order to see all the gallery and event spaces, but it was also … merely cardboard. Ten minutes before the opening gala ended at 11 p.m., a tipsy arts patron stumbled into one end of the wall. The entire structure shuddered like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 and collapsed, the cardboard bricks hitting the concrete with an eerie silence. 
 
 
   The next day, Hock and helpers rebuilt the wall by lunchtime, the installation briefly becoming an ersatz performance at the art fair. By the end of the five-day run for a wall, a guy appeared to have taken inspiration from the J. Geils Band, stepping up to the wall’s midpoint to “take a Piss On The Wall / Politics, shmolitics.”
 
   Oscar Wilde once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” He also said, “Life imitates art more than art imitates life.” Today life is imitating reality TV, the world of alternative facts, so it’s hard to figure out how to make sense of things. We are in a moment that needs art, its space of reflection, sense of beauty, and striving for truth.  Consider this excerpt from a speech given thirty years ago:
 
We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. … If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity…, if you seek liberalization … tear down this wall!
 
   Walls often fall more quickly than they went up. But the time in between building and tearing down can be long and is by no means a period marked by security. What we see today is hatred, fear, and cruel disregard within our own borders, when the “America” that some wanted back was always a dream about community and home. We cannot let that dream become confused with the fear of difference.
 
   Here’s how art can help: At the LA Art Show, veteran artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz set up two stations with multiple paper shredders. People were encouraged to write down their worries on brightly colored paper and shred them. And people had worries! Each day the shreds were gathered and poured into two giant Plexiglas enclosures. Soon the sense of apprehension transformed into joy as people from all walks of life let go of their fears and contemplated the multi-colored sculpture they were building, together.
 
 
Chon A. Noriega
Director and Professor
 

News

Crowdfunding campaign for Home exhibition continues through February 27
On January 17 the CSRC launched a crowdfunding campaign for the upcoming CSRC-organized exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing at LACMA. This exhibition will mark the first time a major Los Angeles museum will hold an extensive group show focused on U.S. Latino and Latin American art from the 1950s to the present. With over ninety works of art, this is also the largest exhibition the CSRC has ever produced! The goal of the campaign, which is hosted by UCLA Spark, the university’s crowdfunding platform, is to raise $10,000 in forty-five days to go toward artwork installation and catalog production. We are pleased to have raised over $6,000 so far; please help us reach our goal in the remaining 25 days! To make a donation (even $10 helps!) and see the list of thank-you gifts, including one signed silk-screen print by Salomón Huerta, Home artist and UCLA Bruin, for a $2,500 donation, please visit https://spark.ucla.edu/home.
 
Hernández comments on president’s proposed deportation policy
Kelly Lytle Hernández, associate professor of history at UCLA and former CSRC associate director, was quoted and featured in a video in the CNN story “How Trump's deportation plan failed 62 years ago.” The article, published online January 19, discusses the Eisenhower administration’s deportation program “Operation Wetback” as the model for President Trump’s proposed policy to reduce illegal immigration from Mexico. Hernández is the author of Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol (University of California Press, 2010). Read the article here.
 
Huerta hosts webinar on resources for undocumented students
Alvaro Huerta, assistant professor of urban planning and ethnic and women’s studies at Cal Poly Pomona, moderated a webinar featuring UCLA students and alumni who are leading efforts on campus, locally, and nationally to create resources for undocumented college students. Huerta is a Bruin and former CSRC visiting scholar. The discussion was hosted by the UCLA Alumni Affairs Diversity Programs as part of its #EmPowerHour series of webinars. It can be viewed here.
 
Hayes-Bautista presents new book on history of Latinos in the US
On February 7, David E. Hayes-Bautista, former CSRC director, professor of medicine, and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will present his latest book, La Nueva California: Latinos from Pioneers to Post Millennials (University of California Press, 2017) at UCLA’s Semel Institute Auditorium. The book surveys nearly 200 years of history and argues post-millennial Latinos are crafting their own American identity built on, among other factors, a distinctive regional identity. The event includes a reception and special performance by Ballet Folklórico Flor de Mayo. A second, similar event will be held in downtown L.A. on February 9. To RSVP, click here.
 
‘Conversations with the Dean’ to discuss immigration policy
On March 2, Laura E. Gómez, interim dean of the division of social sciences and professor of law, will moderate the discussion “Immigration Policy Under President Trump: What Can We Expect?” The panelists include Leisy Abrego, associate professor of Chicana/o studies and member of the CSRC faculty advisory committee; Lauren Duquette-Rury, assistant professor of sociology; and Margaret Peters, assistant professor of political science. The event will take place at 6 p.m. at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and will be followed by a reception. The event is sponsored by the UCLA College. To RSVP, click here
 
CSRC lends work to Romero retrospective
The CSRC has lent Family Car with Dog (1992) by Los Angeles artist Frank Romero to Dreamland: A Frank Romero Retrospective at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach. The exhibition opens February 11 and runs through May 21. For more information, click here.
 
New video on CSRC YouTube:
 
  • IAC Fall Forum 2016 (December 1, 2016) (video) UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures hosted a forum and reception to honor the 2016–17 IAC visiting researchers and scholars, graduate and predoctoral fellows, and research-grant awardees at UCLA’s four ethnic studies centers. Among those participating in the discussion were Vanessa Díaz, IAC Visiting Scholar at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, Tanachal Mark Padoongpatt, IAC Visiting Scholar at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, and Natale Zappia, IAC Visiting Scholar at the UCLA American Indian Studies Center. Also included was Courtney S. Thomas, Faculty Associate at the Bunche Center for African American Studies.

CSRC in the News

“Some Brief Thoughts on Art and Scientific Language in the Administered World”
An essay by CSRC director Chon Noriega is cited in a piece about the misconceptions created when scientific nomenclature is used to discuss and critique art.
Huffington Post, January 29, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Reviven Lucha Chicana”
Reforma discusses the bilingual newspaper La Raza, which captured the Chicano movement through powerful photos taken in Los Angeles between 1967 and 1977. The CSRC is mentioned for its collection of 25,000 digital images from the publication.
Reforma, January 13, 2017 (PDF)
 
“L.A. Art Show Reinvents Itself Again – With Help from Major Museums”
The Los Angeles Times reported on the new slate of on-site programming from eight Southern California art institutions, including the CSRC, at this year’s LA Art Show.
Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Black Organizes International Colloquium on Renaissance”
The UCLA Newsroom reported on CSRC associate director Charlene Villaseñor Black’s receipt of a $35,000 grant from the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation to organize an international colloquium titled “Renaissance Futurities: Science, Art, Invention.”
UCLA Newsroom, January 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“L.A. Due for a Flurry of Winter Art Shows”
The Hollywood Reporter put a spotlight on several upcoming art shows in Los Angeles, one being the LA Art Show, which showcased several institutions participating in Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, including the CSRC.
Hollywood Reporter, January 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“This Weekend’s L.A. Art Show Will Have Something for Every Modern Art Lover”
The CSRC is mentioned in Time Out as one of several institutions participating in the LA Art Show and the Getty initiative Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.
Time Out, January 11, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Luis Cruz-Azaceta: An Off-the-Walls-Perspective”
Alejandro Anreus, author of Luis Cruz Azaceta, part the CSRC Press’s A Ver series, discusses his book as well as his current project, Luis Cruz Azaceta: Dictators, Terrorism, War and Exile, an exhibition at the American Museum of Cuban Diaspora in Miami.
Cuban Art News
, January 10, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Acres of Art at the Convention Center”
CSRC director Chon Noriega was quoted in a piece on the 2017 LA Art Show’s 50,000 square-foot section of the fair dedicated to programming by Southern California museums and the CSRC.
LA Downtown News, January 10, 2017 (PDF)
 
“2017 Los Angeles Art Show - Kim Martindale’s Preview and Guide to the Show”
A photo of Raphael Montañez Ortiz performing a piano destruction concert was featured in a preview of the 2017 LA Art Show provided by Kim Martindale, the producer of the event.
Echo in the Sense, January 10, 2017 (PDF)
 
LA Art Show Instagram features Chon Noriega
CSRC director Chon Noriega is quoted in an Instagram post by the LA Art Show in which he discusses the “Fragments from Home” program at the LA Art Show, featuring installations and performances by Ramiro Gomez and Raphael Montañez Ortiz. Home—So Different, So Appealing, an exhibition that will open in June 2017 at LACMA and includes work by Gomez and Ortiz, among others, inspired “Fragments from Home” at the art fair.
Instagram, January 9, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Beneath the Cardboard, the Beach: Finding Utopia at the LA Art Show”
CSRC director Chon Noriega wrote a piece for the Huffington Post discussing the CSRC’s participation in the upcoming LA Art Show running January 11-15 at the L.A. Convention Center, and pieces that will be presented that reflect on the current immigration debate.
Huffington Post, January 9, 2017 (PDF)
 
“Guadalupe Rosales: Veteranas and Rucas & Map Pointz”
LXAQ covered CSRC collections donor Guadalupe Rosales and her Instagram projects ‘Veteranas and Rucas’ and ‘Map Pointz,’ which post crowd-sourced photographs, flyers, videos, and other ephemera pertaining to Chicano party culture in the 1990s.
LXAQ, December 12, 2016 (PDF)
 
 All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.
 

Events

Symposium: “Otro Corazón 2: Queering Chicanidad in the Arts — A Valentine for Tomás Ybarra-Frausto”
Friday, February 3, 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
314 Royce Hall
To honor the academic legacy of Dr. Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, the UCLA LGBTQ Studies Program, the art history department, and the Chicana/Chicano studies department will present dialogues about the current state of queer Chicanidad in the arts. There is no registration fee. However, all attendees, presenters, and moderators MUST register online as there is limited seating in the symposium venue. Meals and refreshments will be provided free of charge to registered guests and participants only. Please register here. The CSRC is a co-sponsor of this event.
 
Book Talk: Rudy P. Guevarra Jr. Presents Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego
Wednesday, February 22, 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
CSRC Library – 144 Haines Hall
The CSRC welcomes Rudy P. Guevarra Jr., who will discuss his book Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego (Rutgers University Press, 2012). The book examines the interethnic communities and cultural ties between Mexicans and Filipinos in San Diego during the twentieth-century. Guevarra is an assistant professor of Asian Pacific American studies at Arizona State University. Books will be available for purchase and light refreshments will be served following the discussion. Please RSVP at https://becomingmexipino.eventbrite.com. This event is organized by the Asian American Studies Center and co-sponsored by the CSRC.
 
All CSRC events are free and do not require an RSVP unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the Events page on the CSRC website.
 

CSRC Library

CSRC to exhibit Ybarra-Frausto writings at symposium
As part of “Otro Corazón 2: Queering Chicanidad in the Arts – A Valentine for Tomás Ybarra-Frausto” on February 3 (see Events), the CSRC Library will host a table at the symposium displaying Ybarra-Frausto’s writings. The exhibit will include his books, available for guests to peruse, Also available will be a comprehensive bibliography for people interested in the pioneering art historian’s journal articles, catalog contributions, and other published works. Xaviera Flores, CSRC Librarian, will be on hand to answer any questions about where to find these and other sources relevant to Chicana/o studies and LGBTQ studies.
 
New finding aids published
New finding aids have been published for the Guillermo Bejarano Papers (CSRC-0019) and the Zine Collection (CSRC-0027). These collections were reprocessed in December 2016 and cataloged in January 2017 to provide more comprehensive descriptions of the materials.
 
Library exhibition on public art continues
Now on display in the CSRC Library and vitrine is the exhibition Taking to the Streets: Art in the Public Space at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, featuring photographs, cardboard cutouts, and a video triptych. The impetus for this show is a recent donation to the CSRC of a bus-mounted art poster by David Avalos, Louis Hock, and Elizabeth Sisco titled “Welcome to America’s Finest Tourist Plantation.” In 1988 the three artists launched a public art project that placed the poster on the back of one hundred city buses, sending a message about the labor that supports the area’s tourist industry. The piece was conserved at UCLA and is now on permanent display at the CSRC. Curated by Karen Rapp, previous director of the Vincent Price Art Museum, the exhibition highlights diverse selections from the CSRC’s archival holdings as well as previous projects that utilize public space as a site for artistic engagement and production. Works by Ramiro Gomez, Daniel J. Martinez, and Sandra de la Loza round out the exhibition. It will be on view during regular library hours through Winter Quarter.
 
To schedule a tour of the CSRC Library, contact CSRC Librarian Xaviera Flores at xflores@chicano.ucla.edu.
 

CSRC Press

Aztlán, the premier journal of Chicana/o studies, is inviting new submissions! Aztlán publishes scholarship relevant to Chicana/o studies from all disciplines and interdisciplinary research as well. We welcome submissions in English and Spanish. We are seeking submissions for all three areas of the journal:
 
Essays
Our essays are research-based and come from a wide variety of disciplines—literature, sociology, history, political science, the arts, linguistics, gender studies, ethnic studies, and many other fields—but they always engage the Chicana/o experience. All essays are peer reviewed and are frequently revised to meet the journal’s standards for quality research. Essays typically run 10,000–12,000 words in length.
 
Dossiers
The dossier section provides a forum for multiple and shorter engagements with a specific theme that examines an aspect of Chicana/o studies; this might be an object of study, theoretical or disciplinary questions, a methodology, or one scholar’s work. The dossier section, while still of a scholarly nature, is designed to be exploratory, provocative, or experimental in approach. Aztlán will consider working with a guest curator—a scholar who wishes to create a dossier theme and can help manage dossier development. Contact Heather Birdsall at hbirdsall@chicano.ucla.edu to explore this opportunity.
 
Book Reviews
If you are interested in writing a book review for us, we will gladly consider suggested titles, or we can recommend a book that matches your field of interest. To inquire about reviews, contact our book review coordinator at revieweditor@chicano.ucla.edu.
 
To submit: All submissions should be sent to our submission inbox at submissions@chicano.ucla.edu. For complete information about Aztlán and our submission guidelines, please visit the CSRC website. Please direct queries to Heather Birdsall, assistant editor, at hbirdsall@chicano.ucla.edu. We look forward to receiving your submissions.
 

Opportunities

Call for applications: IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program for 2017-18
*Deadline extended to February 15
The Inter-University Program for Latino Research is now accepting applications for the IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program (academic year 2017-18). The program supports ABD doctoral students in the humanities who are writing dissertations in Latina/o studies. Doctoral students in the social sciences whose research uses humanities methods may also be considered. The fellowship facilitates completion of the dissertation and provides professional development, job market support, and mentoring for students who will graduate in Spring 2018.

With support from the Andrew G. Mellon Foundation, IUPLR will select fellows through five designated research centers. Applicants must be affiliated with the following centers to be eligible:  
 
The Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA
The Dominican Studies Institute at CUNY
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY
The Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago
 
The fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend and travel support to attend IUPLR conferences and a required two-week summer institute in Chicago. For more information and to view the online application, visit https://form.jotform.com/62325487948166
Application deadline: February 15. All queries should be directed to the Mellon coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Boles, jlboles@uic.edu.
 
Call for applications: Research Excellence Award for UCLA Associate Professors for 2017-2018
The Center for the Study of Women and Institute for American Cultures announce a joint award: the Research Excellence Award for Associate Professors for the 2017-18 academic year. This Award consists of a monograph manuscript (or equivalent) workshop organized by CSW-IAC to promote continuing excellence in scholarship by UCLA professors at the associate level addressing questions important to the fields of critical race and postcolonial studies and/or gender, sexuality, and ethnic studies. 
 
Candidates for the award must be nominated by a fellow faculty member (does not have to be from UCLA) committed to co-organizing the workshop alongside the CSW-IAC selection committee and staff. Each workshop will feature a distinguished outside reader from the awardee’s field who will prepare detailed written reports in preparation for the workshop discussion. Also invited will be a select group of local colleagues and intellectual interlocutors who will also have had an opportunity to read the manuscript or portions thereof. These workshops will offer awardees an extended and detailed discussion of his or her manuscript and a pragmatic plan of action for revisions.
  
The application requires the following materials:  
  1. Two-page (single-spaced) abstract of the book manuscript, including a progress report on state of completion by the time of the workshop
  2. CV, with past service to or collaboration with IAC or CSW highlighted
  3. Letter of Nomination, noting three potential outside readers of the manuscript
 
Application may be submitted by nominator or nominee.
Application deadline: March 1, 2017 (11:59 p.m. PST). For more information and to view the online application visit: https://uclacsw.submittable.com/submit/76456/research-excellence-award-for-associate-professors-2017-2018
 
Call for applications: IAC 2017-2018 Research Grant Program in Ethnic Studies
The mission of the Institute of American Cultures (IAC) is to conduct and facilitate research on the major traditionally underrepresented ethnic minority groups in the US and to advance our understanding of the new social and cultural realities in this nation brought about by recent unparalleled population shifts, a phenomenon which we term emerging America.

The IAC, which houses the four research Centers (the Asian American Studies Center, the American Indian Studies Center, the Bunche Center for Research on African Americans, and the Chicano Studies Research Center), announces the availability of small grants for support of research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os, as well as the new population dynamics. It particularly encourages proposals that will make a contribution to the research interests of the Ethnic Studies Research Centers, including interethnic/interracial and multiethnic/multiracial topics. The IAC also invites proposals that will increase collaboration between the Centers and/or between the Centers and other campus units. The online application is available at: https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/ResearchGrant
Application deadline: March 13, 2017. For more information visit: http://www.iac.ucla.edu/fellowships_research.html