'Arte Latino' — Reaching beyond stereotypes

With the "2nd Annual Arte Latino: A Celebration of Latino Art in Utah" — in the Kimball Art Center through April 21 — we have yet another opportunity to experience original and significant art through eyes forged by cultural difference.

"Last year the first 'Arte Latino' exhibit was such a tremendous success that we are proud to make this an annual event for the community," said Pam Crowe-Weisberg, director of the Kimball Art Center. "The Latinos are an important part of the Utah population and it is an honor to celebrate their art and rich culture."

While the first exhibit was indeed good, there were pieces that unfortunately played into the hands of people who decry Latino art as simple, gaudy and technically inferior.

In an excerpt from "The Chicano Studies Reader," Karen Mary Davalos, assistant professor of Chicano studies at Loyola Marymount University, refuted such stereotypical opinions.

According to Davalos, these critics of Latino art say "it is 'emergent' (implying that the culture and artistic sensibilities are new and not a significant part of a nation's past or art history), 'colorful' (suggesting it is exotic or fetish), 'political' (implying that the work is parochial), and technically inferior or lacking in aesthetic quality (claiming a standard beyond the artists' reach and refusing to acknowledge that the standard is not universal)."

Several of Utah's best Latino artists chose not to participate in this year's exhibit, not wanting to be labeled or put into a box. Their concern — and it is legitimate — is that such shows only reinforce the notion that they are "Latino artists" instead of "artists."

"Let me tell you the reason I'm involved with the show," said artist Ruby Chacon. "There are some of us that migrated here, and there are some of us that were born here." (According to Chacon, 56 percent of Utah Hispanics were born in the United States.) "My family in particular has been here for 400 years on the Spanish side and several thousand on the Native."

The problem, said Chacon, is that they haven't had their voices or images, in any significant amount, in any public spaces, institutions or schools. "That's why I thought it was important to be involved in the Kimball Art Center show. It's a first step."

This year's participating artists are: Chacon, Pilar Pobil, Guillermo Colmenero, Felix Saez, Michael Trujillo, Carlos Matamoros Maldonado, Elena B. Lazary, Araceli Tarraso, Ernesto Apomayta, Elena Sepulveda, Guadalupe Sandoval Rodriguez, Anderson J. Gonzalez, Georgina Alvarez-Gutierrez and Karen Dreyfus.

Whether "Arte Latino" strengthens stereotypes or offers Latino artists another important venue will not be debated here.

What is important is that such an exhibit enriches understanding of different cultures through the appreciation of outstanding art. Which is why the show should be seen by all Utahns.

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