CLR and DPAM Host Educators' Workshop on Mexican American Art

by Sara Luz Torres

On Saturday, August thirteenth, the Center for Latino Research, with the co-sponsorship of the National Museum of Mexican Art, had the fantastic opportunity to host a K-16 Educators' Workshop on Mexican American Art.

Educators from across Chicagoland came together to learn about a new digital portal that aggregates Mexican American art from 1848 to the present day (http://maas1848.unm.edu). The portal enables users to access thousands of full-color digital versions of artworks drawn from the collections of renowned institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Dr. Constance Cortez, a professor in Chicana/o Art History at the University of

Texas, Rio Grande Valley, and Dr. Karen Mary Davalos, a Chicano and Latino Studies professor at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, are the co-leaders and developers of the MAAS1848 project. They were assisted in planning the workshop by Dr. Joanna V. Maravilla, a professor at Lewis University, and Dr. Myrna García, a professor at Northwestern University. Dr. Maravilla and Dr. García, who work regularly with educators, helped to identify and recruit participants for the workshop, focusing on outstanding teachers who serve local Latinx communities and who are interested in incorporating Latinx art into their syllabi. The Chicago-area educators who attended the workshop came from a range of fields, from art to dual-language teaching, social work, and even math. As it turned out, some of the educators were DePaul alumni who were returning to campus for the first time after several years. Two current DePaul undergraduates, Emily Mayo and Serenity de Oca, both of whom are potentially interested in teaching careers, also attended.

Dr. Karen Mary Davalos

The workshop presentations began by asking participants to consider contemporary Mexican American art in Chicago, but also emphasized how most Mexican American artwork is not usually recorded, properly credited, or made digitally accessible. The MAAS1848 database was created to combat this inequity. As Dr. Cortez and Dr. Davalos began to guide educators through the database, participants learned how to search not only for works by individual artists, but also for other materials such as protest flyers, public murals, and contemporary protest art. Dr. Cortez demonstrated how to use the database for a course that traced continuities between Pre-Columbian and Colonial art and Chicano/a art. Dr. Davalos suggested how to create a lesson plan showcasing the visual art of the Chicano Movement. After lunch, participants were asked to consider how to apply the database in their own educational settings. Answers were wide-ranging, but the discussion concluded that incorporating more art into academic environments is crucial in creating an inviting space for young Latinxs and can alter how detached students approach a space.

Dr. Constance Cortez

The last event of the workshop took place at the DePaul Art Museum (DPAM), where the director of DPAM, Laura-Caroline de Lara, provided attendees with a private tour of works from the museum’s collection of Latinx art. De Lara encouraged teachers to consider bringing their classes to DPAM for field trips. It was an impactful experience to go from researching contemporary Mexican American art to experiencing it in person.

As the Department Assistant for the Center for Latino Research and The Department of Latin American and Latino Studies, I have found organizing events for students, staff/faculty, and community members to be the most rewarding, and am happy to have helped organize this event. I am thankful to have witnessed a palpable appreciation for Latinx art by all participants by the end of the evening.