The Latino Experience In The American West

[Mad Madame Momba]

Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas

Another excellent Western art presentation at the Autry is "Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas," an exhibition that explores Mexican popular culture inspired by the Mexican Revolution of 1910.

The exhibit begins November 1 and runs through May 10, 2009.


Edward Gonzales, Tierra o Muerte / The Land Grant Poster, 1999, 22 x 17 in. Courtesy Hispanic Research Center of Arizona State University

Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas explores the development of Mexican popular culture and United States-Mexico relations.

Organized by the Autry National Center in association with Arizona State University's Hispanic Research Center, the exhibition uses art, rare historical footage, feature film, music, and popular culture to experience and understand the monumental changes in the Americas that were initiated by the 1910 revolution.

"This exhibition is part of a museum-wide effort to explore the Latino experience in the American West and the cross-cultural influences that have shaped the past, present, and future of this region," explained Jonathan Spaulding, Executive Director of the Museum of the American West. "In better understanding the region as part of Latin America, we can better understand our future as part of an interconnected continent."

In addition to historic footage, movie reels, and music, the exhibition features fascinating artworks that combine revolutionary heroes and other bold outlaws (male and female) with the theme of the Day of the Dead. Works from the period of the Revolution by José Guadalupe Posada (died 1913), as well as contemporary artists, explore the roots and imagery of contemporary Chicano identity.

The Museum of the American West and Museum Store, located in Los Angeles near Griffith Park, are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From June 1 to August 31, Thursday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free on the second Tuesday of every month and free for veterans year-round.

[Mad Madame Momba]

I'll definitely be seeing this exhibit and I will post a TR as well.