University Art Gallery Western Illinois University
Department of Art
 


Mnemonic: To Aid the Memory
Bajo un Mismo Cielo (Under the Same Sky)

Monday, August 21 - Thursday, September 21, 2006
Public Reception: Tuesday, August 29, 6-8 p.m.

René Hugo Arceo, "Ollin Yarema"
René Hugo Arceo, Ollin Yarema, linocut, 2004

This two-part exhibit features two collaborative print portfolios by Mexican artists and Mexican-American artists from the Chicago area. Mnemonic: To Aid the Memory, based on the theme of memory, allows nineteen artists to deal with aspects of life experiences, recent or old family memories, dreams, allusions to the spiritual, as well as ideas that reflect our physical senses. Bajo un Mismo Cielo (Under the Same Sky) provides twelve artists with a forum for presenting visual expressions concerning issues of cultural identity and the unity of humanity beyond the political and geographic borders imposed by nationality. This portfolio project was sponsored by the Federation of Michoacán Clubs in Illinois (FEDICMI) and Visual Artists of Michoacán (VAM.) The portfolio projects were organized by Chicago, Illinois artist René Hugo Arceo and Juan Guerrero from Morelia, Mexico, and produced in the spirit and long tradition in Twentieth Century Mexican Art of organized artists producing collective art projects with social, political or economic commentary for the public good, as well as for their own mutual education and support. (A well-known example of this tradition in Mexican art is the TGP or Taller de Graphica Popular, of the 1930s and 1940s, continuing until 1977.)

This exhibition is co-sponsored by Casa Latina and the University Art Gallery and is held in conjunction with and in support of Western Illinois University's "American Democracy Project" and the 2006-2007 Campus Theme: "Global Challenges, Personal Responsibility and Cultural Diversity."