New exhibit at San Antonio’s McNay Museum delves into power of found objects in Chicano life

In 1989, Latinx cultural scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto coined the term “rasquachismo” in an essay that explored a cultural concept informed by the daily experiences of ordinary Chicanos.

While the term was a play on the word “rasquache,” slang for bad taste or low class, Ybarra-Frausto defined it as a “a form of resistance incorporating strategies of appropriation, reversal and inversion.”

The exhibit “Rasquachismo: 35 Years of a Chicano Sensibility,” which opened Dec. 19 at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum, shows that rasquachismo continues to influence Latinx poetry, music and the visual arts.

Inspired by Ybarra-Frausto’s original essay “Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility,” the exhibit boasts 50-plus artworks from the McNay’s collection, including pieces by Margarita Cabrera, John A. Hernandez, Luis Jiménez, Yolanda López, César Martínez, Juan de Dios Mora and Kathy Vargas.

It also features artworks on loan by Ybarra-Frausto and other contemporary artists from San Antonio and elsewhere.

“Rasquachismo” was organized by Mia Lopez, the McNay’s inaugural curator of Latinx art, who worked on it in collaboration with Ybarra-Frausto. The show draws upon everyday objects found along city streets and in homes, lawns, houses of worship and flea markets, highlighting efforts to find beauty in them. Those found objects range from broken plates and plastic fragments to bottle caps and tires.

Lopez said the incorporation by Chicanx and Latinx artists of found objects into their work reflects a do-it-yourself attitude and a resourcefulness similar to that of home decorators, tinkerers and graffiti artists, all of whom are adept at using whatever materials they have on hand.

“In some cases, the trash and discarded elements that one might encounter on the street [leads] one to interject their own sort of sense of humor, but also there’s a sense of beauty and being able to transform something as simple as construction material and making that into a kind of monument,” Lopez said.

The exhibit includes Diana Molina’s mixed-media collages, in which candy wrappers and beer labels create a mosaic. Jimmy Canales’ Survival Serape is a blanket augmented with duct tape. A painting from Cruz Ortiz features pieces of wood, a bedsheet and a corn broom.

Rasquachismo is less of a traditional artistic movement and more of a playful aesthetic that prevails among working-class Chicanx creators who make the most of what they have, according to Ybarra-Frausto’s essay.

The “Rasquachismo” exhibit also explores themes of domesticana, or Chicana rasquache, a term coined by artist and author Amalia Mesa-Bains in 1992 as a feminist response to Ybarra-Frausto’s initial essay.

Domesticana is described as a means to examine the work of women in their family and their barrio, and how they persevere. Mesa-Bains’ essay highlights the role of women in the domestic sphere via home altars and capillas, or yard shrines.

For example, Ruth Buentello’s painting The Last Supper depicts a contemporary family enjoying a pizza dinner in the living room.

“The artworks do not necessarily all have to adhere to the same aesthetic, but they are also about an attitude and of survival,” Lopez said.

The exhibit also includes two recent McNay acquisitions. Jamex and Einar de la Torre’s Mi Chicano Corazon uses blown glass and mixed media to reflect the complexity of dual Mexican and American identities, while Nivia Gonzalez’s Untitled pays tribute to her upbringing in San Antonio and her contributions to the community.

Ybarra-Frausto said it’s fitting that the McNay — a museum he said has long championed cultural diversity — is hosting an exhibit dedicated to the rasquachismo spirit.

“This is a very important exhibit because San Antonio is probably the King of Rasquache, and every backyard has a lot of yard art,” he said. “San Antonio is quite a city.”

René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s head of curatorial affairs, said the “Rasquachismo” exhibit demonstrates the museum’s growing collection of Mexican-American art.

“It’s great to bring that to the forefront, and with this very particular point of view, it has really been gratifying for everyone and for Tomas to see this happening before his eyes,” Barilleaux said.

The exhibit will offer special events throughout its run, which ends March 30. “Rasquachismo” is included with the McNay’s general admission, which is $20 for adults with discounts and free admission available.

$20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday through March 30, McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org.

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.