Exhibition of Contemporary Art from Sister City Oaxaca Comes to PAAC

Published on August 10, 2023

Tlacolulokos, Empeño, 2021, acrylic paint on cotton canvas. Arte Américas. Commissioned for Boom Oaxaca with a grant from The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of The James B. McClatchy Foundation. ©2021, Tlacolulokos

PALO ALTO, CALIF.--The Palo Alto Art Center is pleased to present the exhibition Boom Oaxaca: Conversaciones de Campo a Campo from September 16-December 10, 2023. Organized by Fresno’s Arte Américas, the exhibition reflects the experiences of many people with cultural connections to California and Oaxaca, through compelling contemporary art. In conjunction with Boom Oaxaca, the Art Center is excited to announce expanded open hours on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. and enhanced accessibility features.

The City of Oaxaca became Palo Alto’s second Sister City in 1964 and the relationship between the two cities has endured over the decades. Over the years Palo Alto and Oaxaca have partnered together on numerous environmental, humanitarian, artistic, and other projects. According to Art Center Director Karen Kienzle, “The Art Center is honored to showcase the work of artists from and in our Sister City in Boom Oaxaca and hopes the exhibition will spark cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through art.” Wall text and labels in the exhibition will be in English and Spanish.

Grounded in the unique cultures of both California and Oaxaca, Mexico, the work in Boom Oaxaca promotes self-representation, addressing important and timely themes of indigeneity and food sovereignity. The exhibition spotlights newly commissioned works by internationally recognized artists Narsiso Martinez (Oaxacan-born, based in Long Beach, CA) and Tlacolulokos (collective, born and based in Tlacolula, Oaxaca). These artworks were developed in conversation with more than 50,000 Oaxaqueños living in California’s Central Valley.

Building upon the Mexican muralist tradition, the artistsic duo Tlacolulokos is best known for large-scale street art projects. In Boom Oaxaca, they showcase monumental paintings that juxtapose traditional Oaxacan garments, accessories, and symbols with those of contemorary US Cholo culture—emphasizing the effects of migration, transnationalism and tourism. Narsiso Martinez presents charcoal portraits that humanize and uplift the essential farmworkers who provide the fruits and vegetables we enjoy on our tables and in our stores. The exhibition also includes the work of printmaking collectives, whose practices grew out of the student uprisings in Oaxaca in 2006.

The Art Center is featuring two free upcoming events to celebrate the new exhibit in September and November. As with other new exhibits, join the Art Center to Celebrate Boom Oaxaca in a special opening celebration featuring hands-on art activites and speciality cocktails at a cash bar provided by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. Friday Night at the Art Center Opening Celebration--Friday, September 22, 6-8 p.m., FREE, Palo Alto Art Center

Register here

Family day returns at the Art Center in early November featuring hands-on art activities and performances for the whole family. Family Day—Día de los Muertos--Sunday, November 5, 2-4:30 p.m. FREE, Palo Alto Art Center.

More information here.

Boom Oaxaca: Conversaciones de Campo a Campo is an original exhibition from Arte Américas in Fresno, California. This exhibition is made possible by a grant from The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of The James B. McClatchy Foundation. The Palo Alto presentation of Boom Oaxaca is supported by a generous grant from Applied Materials Foundation.

Details on the exhibition and related programming can be found at www.cityofpaloalto.org/boom.

EXPANDED HOURS AND ENHANCED ACCESSIBILITY:

In conjunction with Boom Oaxaca, the Art Center is excited to announce it will now be open on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. In addition, the Art Center is providing limited free enhanced visual interpretation services, which will allow even more community members to access programs, explore exhibitions, assist with navigation while on Art Center grounds, enhancing the entire visitor experience from start to finish. The Art Center’s commitment to accessibility began with The Art of Disability Culture exhibition in 2021 and has included staff training, visual descriptions available for works of art in all exhibitions, and accessible equipment, including an accessible potters’ wheel and easel.

By providing one year of free access to visual interpretation tool Aira for visitors and program participants, the Palo Alto Art Center continues their commitment to accessibility for audiences of all ability levels. A live, human-to-human professional assistance service for people who are blind or have low vision, Aira uses the powerful combination of a camera, smartphone app, and a professionally trained agent. From describing or reading, to explaining or navigating just about anything around the visitor in a safe and secure way, Aira offers assistance to users by visually interpreting what is in the camera’s view or shared on screen. All calls will immediately be free of charge when a user arrives onsite at the Palo Alto Art Center and has the Aira app downloaded. Currently Aira provides interpretation in English, Spanish, and French, allowing for the Art Center to provide further assistance to its entire community.

“We are excited to launch our free access to Aira’s visual interpretation software in conjunction with our fall exhibition Boom Oaxaca,” said Karen Kienzle, Palo Alto Art Center Director. “The Art Center strives to be an accessible place for experiencing art for people of all ability levels, and this app provides another way for people to experience our facility, our exhibitions, and our class programs.”

About the Palo Alto Art Center:
The Palo Alto Art Center is your place to discover art, activate your creativity, and expand your community. Created by the community, for the community in 1971, the Palo Alto Art Center provides an accessible and welcoming place to engage with art. We serve approximately 150,000 people every year through a diverse range of programs.

The Palo Alto Art Center, Division of Arts and Sciences, Community Services Department, City of Palo Alto is funded in part by grants from the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. The Palo Alto Art Center Foundation gratefully acknowledges support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Skyline Foundation, Acton Family Giving, SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, private donations, and members.

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