The Church of the Epiphany/La Iglesia de la Epifanía Presents
The Art of Protest: Epiphany and the Culture of Empowerment
On View January 6, 2018 – March 29, 2018
(Los Angeles, CA)—The Church of the Epiphany presents The Art of Protest: Epiphany and the Culture of Empowerment, an exhibition depicting this parish’s involvement in social justice issues since the late 1960s. The legacy of the Chicano Movement is a call to action and creative social engagement. Epiphany Church historically and today provides an all inclusive space for reflection, dialogue, and transformative personal change that gave the Chicano a sense of acceptance and belonging.
Co-curated by LACMA educator Sofia Gutierrez, artist Ricardo Reyes (nurtured in the Chicano Movement/El Movimiento at Epiphany 1960s) , historian Rosalio Muñoz (co-chair of the Chicano Moratorium), and architect Ravi GuneWardena (principal at Escher GuneWardena, preservation architect for Epiphany), the exhibition brings together work by Movimiento artists from the 1960s and 1970s with that of contemporary artists and historic photographic documentation of this Lincoln Heights community’s role in the affirming the rights of native and immigrant Latin Americans in the Los Angeles region over the past 50 years.
Works exhibited include those by both well-recognized and locally known Chicano artists: Carlos Almaraz, Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, Chaz Bojorquez, Alfredo de Batuc, Beto de la Rocha, Yreina Cervantez, Andres Duran, Margaret Garcia, Roberto Gil de Montes, Henry Glovinsky, Michael Gomes, Wayne Healy, Gilbert Lujan (Magu), Lilia Ramirez, Ricardo Reyes, Guadalupe Rodriguez, Frank Romero, Victor Rosas, Victor Solis, Sheryl Spangler, John Valdez, Sergio Verdin. Works by a selection of contemporary artists who sympathize with current Latino social justice issues and the legacy of the Movement, will be included: Guillermo Bert, Carolyn Castaño, Bonnie Lambert, Ismael de Anda III, Isaias Delgado, Alex Donis, Shepard Fairey, Alexis Garcia, Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca, Ken Gonzales-Day, Juan Manuel Ildefonso, Tish Lampert, John C. Lewis, Arlene Mejorado, Camilo Ontiveros, Bruce Richards, Sandy Rodriguez, Marianne Sadowski, Albert Valdez, J. Michael Walker, Gloria Westcott, Alicia Sterling Beach and other artist members of Epiphany Church.
Starting on the Epiphany at Epiphany! Exhibition-related events spread over three months tie today’s struggles with traditions that run deep, connecting the role of the church in giving voice to disenfranchised peoples. A series of “charlas” (conversations) with activists, academics, curators, historians and artists, in the spirit of “Mental Menudo,” honoring the late Chicano artist Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, are planned.
Saturday, January 6, 2018 – Exhibition Opening with Blessing by Gloria Arellanes, Tongva Spiritual Leader
