Celebrating Chicanx Artists at the Carter

Beginning Feb. 20, The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will host the nationally touring exhibition, ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 – Now, which is comprised of 100-plus artworks from the Smithsonian Art Museum’s permanent Latinx collection. The exhibit includes a variety of works, ranging from the traditional screen prints that defined the early Chicano movement to digital graphics, augmented reality and site-specific installations of today’s contemporary artists.

Carmen Lomas Garza, La Curandera, ca. 1974, hand-colored etching and aquatint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, 1995.50.60, © 1974, Carmen Lomas Garza

“This show charts the rise and impact of the Chicano graphics tradition which really blossoms with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but which remains vital today,” summarizes Spencer Wigmore, Assistant Curator of Paintings, Sculpture, and Works on Paper at the Carter.

“Many of the artists would have seen themselves as activists as well as artists. They used their creativity to develop innovative and aesthetically complex and rich artworks that were meant to support and raise visibility for social justice in the United States while projecting the new political and cultural consciousness for people of Mexican descent,” said Wigmore.

Carlos Francisco Jackson, Breaking the Fast, 1968, 2012, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Drs. Harriett and Ricardo Romo, 2019.50.2

The 74 artists featured in the show, most of whom are of Mexican descent or active in the Chicanx network, utilize colorful graphics to draw attention to larger social issues of the last five decades such as immigration rights, opposition to the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and, most recently, the Black Lives Matter movement. Additional themes include the shifting notion of the term “Chicano”, a term originally adopted by Mexican Americans in the 60s and 70s in response to the social and political oppression caused by Caucasian American society and has evolved to “Chicanx”, the current and more inclusive designation, and the importance of community as it relates to the network influence of Chicanx mentors and print centers on art culture.

“The Carter is thrilled to be able to bring such an important, landmark collection of Latinx art to our North Texas Community,” said Andrew J. Walker, Executive Director at the Carter. “With historic and contemporary work that deeply resonates with social issues we’re grappling with today. We hope this exhibition offers visitors new ways to engage in important conversations for our time.”

¡Printing the Revolution! will run through May 8, and a free, daylong celebration of the exhibit is scheduled for April 23. In addition, Sandy Rodriguez: In Isolation, an exploration of the healing power of art in the age of COVID-19, runs through April 17.

Sandy Rodriguez (b. 1975), Detail of Covid-19 Sunrise with Rabbit, 2020–21, hand-processed watercolor on amate paper, © 2020–21 Sandy Rodriguez

Although she prefers burnt orange to purple, Hannah Bush is happy to call Fort Worth her new home. She began freelance writing a few years ago to break up the monotony of her 9 to 5, and to prove to her parents that she’s making good use of her journalism degree. When she’s not hanging out with her cat, Hannah can likely be found on a patio with her husband, talking about her cat.