Campus initiative Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer fosters Chicanx/ Latinx community empowerment through artistic expression

Community members create posters and murals to promote well-being and celebrate culture

BY MARIA MARTINEZ CASTRO features@theaggie.org

While on the UC Davis campus, students, staff and visitors might encounter colorful art posters depicting the culture and life experiences of the Chicanx and Latinx communities, as well as messages of advocacy, protest and empowerment.

Created by Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), many of these posters line the walls of room 193 in Shields Library and call for change, recognition, celebration and community well-being.

TANA is a workshop space that serves as a silkscreen studio, art teaching center and Chicanx/Latinx exhibition space, according to the TANA website. Through its physical space and programs, TANA aims to promote community growth using art and culture.

Located in Woodland, TANA is a collaborative partnership between the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies program, the city of Davis, the city of Woodland and the surrounding communities. The idea for TANA was born out of a collaboration process between its two cofounders, Carlos Jackson and Malaquias Montoya.

Montoya, who is a professor emeritus within the Chicana/o Studies Department, brought courses on silkscreen poster making (CHI 172) and mural making (CHI 171) to UC Davis. Jackson earned a Master of Fine Arts in Art Studio from UC Davis and is now the dean of the Stamps School of Art and Design.

As a student, Jackson approached Montoya with the idea of creating a community arts center. After the planning, construction and development process, TANA opened its physical space in 2010.

Montoya said that in developing his coursework and TANA, he was influenced by his previous experience and knowledge of community talleres, or workshops. Talleres focus on Chicanx/ Latinx community empowerment and remembering history.

“I came out of the 60s, where workshops like this, talleres, were very important to our community,” Montoya said. “Artists founded talleres in the big cities, the big barrios, and the whole idea was to bring art to the communities that they were from. The idea was to educate our community and educate the children [about] our art.”

This is especially important because a lot of the culture and history of marginalized communities has been erased throughout time by colonialism, according to Montoya.

“Most of our families of that age had lost their culture because that’s what happens when you get conquered,” Montoya said. “The conqueror sees it

TANA, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, student art prints hang in room 193 of Shield’s library. (Alexis Perez / Aggie) very necessary to destroy one’s culture.”

TANA’s silkscreen printing workshops allow young and vulnerable community members to promote positive identity and civic participation, using art and culture as a means to strengthen community ties, according to their official webpage.

The posters serve as a voice for community members that have been historically silenced and speak on hidden history and social issues, Montoya said.

“The idea behind the poster is that it’d be a voice from us to our community,” Montoya said. “We […] give them a voice to speak about the injustice that we have in our communities. It’s just like the mural paintings of Diego Rivera [and] the artists in Mexico when [Jose] Vasconcelos, who was Minister of [Public Education], brought in artists to bring the history back to the community. The artists started to put down and paint the history of Mexico.

In a sense, that’s what we’re doing. That’s what talleres do. Except talleres are [also] dealing with issues that are present daily, such as police brutality.”

Jose Arenas, TANA’s current director, said that the posters have the ability to inspire and encourage community members to hold conversations that lead to progress.

“We’re using the poster, the print, as a vehicle for self-expression and for speaking on issues that are happening in the community [...] as something that can visually trigger ideas and dialogue and change,” Arenas said.

TANA allows for Chicanx/Latinx communities to be seen and empowered, Montoya said.

“By bringing art to the people, you awaken them to who they are and bring pride to them,” Montoya said. “And they look at themselves in a different way.”

To further reach, engage and empower the community, TANA creates murals with community organizations and partners. TANA’s mural component is an extension of the mural workshop within the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies program.

“In the case of the [mural making] class in [the] Chicana/o Studies Department, […] UC Davis students engage and [talk about] these issues with community members, then through that process, actually derive and [compose] an image, a mural, that really reflects those priorities.”

UC Davis students and youth from surrounding communities are at the center of TANA’s efforts. Through TANA’s collaboration with the Chicana/o Studies Department, UC Davis student interns assist in its operation by leading workshops, as well as organizing mentorship opportunities for Woodland youth.

“One of the things that we’re really focused on is deepening these regional partnerships with schools and youthfocused organizations,” Arenas said. “Essentially, we’re serving as an integral cultural center that hopefully enriches the lives of youth and families as we move forward in the community.”

According to Montoya, the heart of TANA exists in seeing Chicanx/ Latinx families and the community come together through the creation of art and the celebration of culture.

“The most wonderful thing has been when we’ve had student exhibitions and students bring their parents to the opening,” Montoya said. “It brings tears sometimes just to think that this is the first time this son or daughter [has] taken their parents to see artwork at a gallery. I’ve found our community, [our] people don’t do that, really because we were never brought up that way. But now it’s just wonderful to see a mom and a grandfather stand there and have a young student or poster maker explain to them what they did and what they’re doing and what it was for. That’s, for me, the biggest satisfaction.” a degree in political science. Anderson had known BereczkyAnderson since he was 16 years old. When a mutual friend visited Davis, they reconnected, which sparked the beginning of their love story.

“[Anna and our friend] came over to my dorm area and put a note on the bulletin board,” Anderson said, “and I don’t know what caused me to look at it because I never really paid attention to what was posted on there, but I saw the note. It said that she was in town and that we should get together before she left. So I called her by payphone, and we hung out that afternoon.”

She and Anderson stayed in touch after he went home for summer break.

“We wrote letters to each other the whole summer until the fall, basically getting to know each other and seeing if we wanted to date,” Anderson said. “I obviously really liked her, and so when I came back, we started dating.”

In Davis, Anderson found himself spending a lot of time walking his girlfriend’s beloved dog, Ricky the beagle, who he said is a renowned escape artist.

“We would walk her dog through the Arboretum and around the ponds in West Davis, all through the neighborhoods,” Anderson said. “A lot of times, he got loose, so when he managed to escape, we would just go to the nearest food place, and he was probably nearby.”

Ricky’s escapades were inconvenient but always memorable for the couple.

“It was the night before she and her mother were going to Italy,” Anderson said. “I got a call from them saying that the dog got out, so we were all driving around, trying to find the dog, and someone found him in the bushes next to Carl’s Jr., probably chomping on something.”

Memories like these inspired the couple to remain in Davis after they graduated. They are celebrating their 30th anniversary this fall, with “four crazy kids all over the world.”

Commencementspeaker From The Cover

“I’m a transfer student set to graduate this spring, and I would be thrilled if Hasan Minhaj spoke at graduation,” Johnson said. “He’s one of my favorite comedians, and as a political science student, I love his commentary on social issues.” Max Insensee, who is also a fourthyear political science major, expressed specific interest in the humor and memorability that a comedian speaker could bring to graduation ceremonies in general.

“Many of my favorite graduation ceremonies I’ve watched online are made better because a comedian spoke,” Insensee said. “We have been lectured for four years; we deserve a laugh on graduation.”

Gstreet From The Cover

The staff report notes that there has been a lot of debate throughout the community about the options that the council is deciding upon, including concerns about the cleanliness and appearance of the shared space located at the site of the ongoing closure, discrepancies between restaurants’ outside dining spaces and that some businesses do more upkeep than others. The staff report said that there will need to be requirements developed to address these ongoing issues with cleanliness if the street is to remain closed.

The staff report continues, “the current approach to issuing TUPs has led some businesses disproportionately benefiting from increased dining space with little or no additional cost, while potentially negatively affecting others along G Street. This has been expressed as businesses being able to essentially rent the public space for little or no cost, thereby receiving a financial benefit.” Suggestions made by the Davis Public Works Department (DPWD) include creating a fee calendar for advantaged businesses to allow for a more equitable commerce policy.

The report concludes with the DPWD providing resources for both the council and the public to learn more about similar closures throughout the nation, stating that, “In addition, there might be grant funding to assist in the implementation of more permanent changes such as removal of gutters or the installation of at grade planters and other low impact storm control solutions but it would take several years to secure funding and construct a project using these sources. Alternatively, the City Council could direct utilization of alternative sources, such as American Rescue Plan Act funds (potentially including those already allocated for Downtown enhancements).”

As of January 17, city council has tentatively agreed to allow the closure of G Street between Second and Third streets to remain more permanently, with participating Council members voting to uphold the second option for the time being. The City Council will now continue to work on possible improvements and vote on the adjustments that need to be made.