This push became a tidal wave that galvanized Mexican Americans across the country, coalescing in the Chicano Movement. Chicano art emerged in its wake, questioning cultural stereotypes and championing the complexities of Mexican American culture. Its practitioners were influenced by Mexican muralism, pre-Columbian art and an aesthetic that is neither fully Mexican nor American but something new, distinct and powerful.
San Antonio’s Xicanx Month is a citywide celebration commemorating the Chicano Arts Movement and paying tribute to a cultural legacy that helped shape our community. The term Xicanx, pronounced Chee-caan-x, uses the ‘X’ from Spanish transcriptions of Nahuatl — a major Indigenous language of Mexico — at the beginning of the word, while the ‘x’ on the far end signals non-binary inclusivity.
In this, its inaugural year, Xicanx Month will be celebrated with events, exhibitions and performances throughout the month of August. Venues and presenters include Artpace San Antonio, the Contemporary at Blue Star, Dock Space Annex, Ruby City and Urban 15, among others.
Artpace San Antonio
Vincent Valdez: Undercurrents
San Antonio-born Vincent Valdez tackles the weighty subject of systemic racism in his powerful drawings, paintings and prints. “This series,” the artist told the Current’s Bryan Rindfuss, “is a meditation on the violence that has historically been unleashed, in many cases as a direct result of U.S. government foreign policy and military interventions intended to disrupt and crush social and political opposition to American imperialism in Latin America.” Undercurrents also includes works by artists who inspired Valdez, including his partner Adriana Corral and his mentor Rubio. Free, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, through Dec. 1, Artpace, 445 N. Main Ave., (210) 212-4900, artpace.org.
Dock Space Annex
Y Todo Lo Que Somos/Everything We Are
Dock Space Annex will feature four San Antonio-based talents — mixed media artists Gilbert Martinez and Lee Ortiz, street artist Edward Perez and educator Gloria Chavez Ramirez — in a show called Y Todo Lo Que Somos/Everything We Are. The opening reception is part of the Second Saturday Artwalk in the Lone Star Art District. Call (210) 723-3048 to view the show outside of the reception times. Free, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, Dock Space Annex, 107 Lone Star Blvd., (210) 723-3048, dockspacegallery.com/dock-space-annex.
Ruby City
Semejantes Personajes/Significant Personages panel discussion
The artists featured in Celia Álvarez Muñoz’ portraits currently on view at Ruby City will participate in a panel discussion on the experience of being photographed by Muñoz along with the shifting cultural landscape they encountered throughout their careers. The panel will be moderated by Mia Lopez, the McNay Art Museum’s curator of Latinx art. Featured artists include Ethel Shipton, Jesse Amado, Terry Ybañez, Cruz Ortiz, David Zamora Casas, Ana de Portela and Jim Mendiola. Free, 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, Ruby City, 150 Camp St., (210) 227-8400, rubycity.org.
Urban 15
Robert Ojeda and the Bronze Band: A Tribute to La Musica Chicana
As the next event in its 50th anniversary summer series, Urban 15 is presenting Robert Ojeda’s performance art piece A Tribute to La Musica Chicana. This event covers the rich history of Mexican American musical traditions, from pre-colonial and indigenous creations through the 1960s. Ojeda’s goal is to “fill in a gap” in San Antonio’s music history by performing, preserving and promoting the sounds that developed alongside Chicano identity. Ojeda is a Texas native whose cultural field research includes a 20-year collaboration with artistic director and choreographer Yolanda Chacon Beniquez of La Fiesta Danzantes de San Diego centered on the traditions of Mexican ballet forlklorico music and dance. Free, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, URBAN-15 Studio, 2500 S. Presa St., (210) 736-1500, urban15.org.
The Contemporary at Blue Star
Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers symposium
The Contemporary will present a two-day weekend symposium of programs and events inspired by the gallery’s current group exhibition Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers. The symposium is free, but registration is required for each individual program, which includes lectures, discussions and workshops. Topics range from zines as political tools to guided meditation along with a history lesson and demo exploring the cultural significance of the flour tortilla. Free, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 24-25, The Contemporary at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org.
More offerings are on the docket, including the ongoing exhibition Lovers & Fighters: Prints by Latino Artists in the SAMA Collection at the San Antonio Museum of Art, a collaborative performance between chamber ensemble Agarita and vocalist Azul at The Pearl’s Stable Hall and an art exhibit and performance Ancestral Soul: An Offering To The Architects Of San Antonio’s Chicano Rock And Roll at S.M.A.R.T. projectspace on Second Saturday. A comprehensive calendar of Xicanx Month events, programs and locations is available from the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture at events.getcreativesanantonio.com/categories/xicanx-month.
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