Here are some links for Fronteras Cruzadas:

If you want pdf copies of Fronteras Cruzadas flyers, logos and press release you can download them by clicking here.

If want information on Brownsville hotels, flights and driving directions to visit this link.

If you have any questions e-mail: fronterascruzadas@yahoo.com

I wanted to share this with you all. It sounds like a very interesting lecture on Conjunto music (a genre original to the Valley) so if you happen to be in the Valley area next week you should go to this event hosted by the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center in San Benito, TX.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NMCAC Hosts Lecture by Tejano Music Authority

WHAT: Conjunto Music, Yesterday and Today: a Night of History, Music and Art



WHO: Dr. Manuel PeÒa, visiting professor at UT Pan American

Oscar Hernandez, legendary accordionist

Cande Aguilar and Roel Flores, visual artists and musicians



WHEN: Thursday April 29, 2004



WHERE: 220 E. Stenger Street, San Benito, Texas



WHY: NMCAC is committed to preserving and promoting a valued Rio Grande Valley cultural tradition, conjunto music, as well as history and local art. To that end, NMCAC will host a lecture by the foremost Tejano music authority, Dr. Manuel PeÒa, who is ending a one-year term holding the Maryalice Shivers Endowed Chair in the music department UT Pan American in Edinburg. Dr. PeÒa received his PhD in anthropology of music and folklore from the University of Texas at Austin and has authored three books on Tejano music, including ìThe Texas-Mexican Conjuntoî (University of Texas Press, 1985), ìMusica Tejanaî (A & M Press, 1999), and ìThe Mexican American Orquestaî (University of Texas Press, 1999). Dr. PeÒa has been teaching in California State Univeristy in Fresno since 1981.

Oscar Hernandez, born in Pharr, Texas, is an acclaimed button accordion virtuoso and Conjunto Music Hall of Fame member. He is best known for introducing the chromatic accordion to conjunto music while he was a member of the legendary Conjunto Bernal. With his accordion, Mr. Hernandez will demonstrate the evolution of conjunto music throughout Dr. PeÒaís lecture. 

Cande Aguilar Jr. is also an accordionist as well as a visual artist based in Brownsville, Texas. He began his music career at the age of 10; he is a founding members of the Tejano music group, Elida y Avante with whom he toured the U.S. and Mexico. A self-taught abstract artist, Aguilar now uses oil and mixed media to express his interpretation of the unique artistic qualities found in the Rio Grande Valley.

Roel Flores, a Weslaco, Texas native, is an accomplished bajo sexto player who began his musical career in 1955. He has played extensively with many conjuntos, and this part of his life is interpreted in his many oil paintings. Mr. Floresí and Mr. Aguilarís artwork will be on display this evening. Admission is $5.00. 

Cristina Balli
Director of Programming & Development
Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center
P.O. Box 471
220 Stenger Street
San Benito, Texas 78586
(956) 361-0110

It is now official. We have less than a month until the opening reception for Fronteras Cruzadas.
!!TA TA TA TOM!!

I like this collage. I borrowed this image from the site that is being used to promote this Americo Paredes Distinguished Lecture that CMAS center is sponsoring on "Performative and Visual Art in the Construction of Social Identites." Hits right on the button on what Frank and I are trying to do. I am excited to be going and to learn more about the arts and expressing social indentity. I will save any information I can get for the students in Fronteras Cruzadas as well.

But one thing quirks me about this image is that it cuts off any visual representation of the Valley. Perhaps I am taking it personal, but don't you think a image being used to promote an Americo Paredes Distinguished Lecture should pay some recognition to his origin. In a way, I want to say that it goes to show how dislocated the Valley is from the Chicano movement and culture. I almost want to say the Valley isn't persay a Chicano culture. I am pointing to Chicano culture..because it is the mainstream movement that most people reference when it comes to Mexican-American identity.

I am not making conclusions, but sometimes I feel that the Mexican-American culture is too freely associated with California, barrio issues, catholicism, the Chicano movement and physical borders. These are some fundamentals of Chicano culture that I just cannot totally relate to. I was raised in a sheltered Southern Baptist home for one, totally oblivous to catholicism until my high schools years. I lived in Brownsville for my whole upbringing, where the Mexican population is abouy 96%, so tensions of ethnic and cultural assimilation were never a big issue growing up. It wasn't until I came to college that I was told I was a minority. I grew up not too far from a swirling, muddy river, that churned and meshed my American heritage with my Mexican heritage as a first generation Mexican-American, not seperated it. And even if demographically I am an minority, I don't feel it, not even today. While in Austin, I have been harrassed for being a Mexican-American woman and threatened, but even then, inside of me I do not feel like an ethnic minority. I am a Mexican-American woman and many things beside that, so why is it all of a sudden that I have to relate myself to a title like "Chicano", a title so freely associated to things I am not? Funny how one image can stir so many emotions huh? Maybe this is my issue and no one else's, but I do have to say one thing: There is more to being Mexican-American than being Chicano. I would love to say that the Chicano movement is a sub-culture of Mexican-American culture, as is the Rio Grande Valley. But who knows, this statement may be too premature and naive to say. Still have more things to do, learn and see.

Since Frank is sharing his work process for the ArtsReach project I think I will too. Yay, the bandwagon is always fun! NEways, I have always found music an inspirational source for me and lately my ears have been glued to this little awesome tune by Control Machete in collaboration with Ely Guerra (Who has this AWESOME AWESOME voice and style) called De Perros Amores. Any guesses for what movie this song was made for?

Well, here is a clip of the song so do enjoy! I am thinking of making some painting panels that incorporate some phrases from the lyric of this song. I think this song captures the desperate spirit of the human condition and I want to relate this feeling to the immigrant experience. It may not be so successful but I am still thinking the concept through. Either way I love this song. So I would like to share it with you anyways, if I make art from it or not.
De Perros Amores.mp3
Here is a link the lyrics of the song.

From the Brownsville Herald

Alamo not remembered as glorious victory in Mexico

And also

Santa Anna Legacy Burdened with Contradiction

the reader's comments on the bottom are pretty interesting, funny, and a few horrifying.

And a News 8 Austin article I'll get to later.

I'm taking a break.

Commondreams.org article on free trade and the Border Patrol.

"I was recently in Brownsville, Texas, where I witnessed the daily effects of misguided border policies. Brownsville is within walking distance of the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico and the United States. Border Patrol cars cruise the streets and agents routinely harass people, including U.S. citizens and legal residents.

And until recently, huge lights installed by Border Patrol along the river illuminated the area so brightly that the wildlife no longer knew whether it was day or night."

Laredo Morning Times PDF

possible reference photo

Here's an article from the Houston Chronicle about immigrant smuggling in the Rio Grande Valley.

Coyotes: A Journey Through the Secret World of Mexico's Illegal Aliens
by Ted Conover.

This looks like a great read. The sample pages have some great stuff in them.

Hello! I thought I should put this up pass the word on Cristina Balli who was a guest speaker at the ArtsReach symposium last Saturday. She did a great job and she will be an awesome director for the Narcisso Martinez Cultural Center.

__________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 5, 2004

Contact: Rogelio Nunez
Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center
P.O. Box 471
San Benito, Texas 78586
(956) 361-0110
Email: nmcacsb@yahoo.com


Cultural Center Hires New Director

SAN BENITO, TX The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center in San Benito is pleased to announce the hiring of Rio Grande Valley native and public radio journalist Cristina Balli as the new Director of Development and Programming, effective April 5, 2004.

Balli leaves her position of producer at Public Radio 88 FM, KMBH/KHID, where she hosted the segment "Fine Arts Focus". A native of Brownsville, she earned a bachelor of social work at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. After practicing in the field of child welfare and mental health for eight years, she switched careers to public broadcasting. She produced several radio documentaries for KMBH/KHID, including "La Hora de la Guitarra: the Life of Maria Aurora Arrese and the Estudiantina Movement in Brownsville", "Celebrating 50 Years of the Valley Symphony Orchestra and Chorale", "Classic 88 FM's Voices of Christmas", and "Celebrating Our People: Los del Valle". Balli provided technical assistance for the initial season of "North of the Border", a public radio program of Mexican roots music. She also contributes a music column to the local arts and culture publication, "The Mesquite Review".

"It is very difficult to leave public radio", said Balli, "but I am looking forward to my future at NMCAC. The time is ripe for the development of arts and culture in the Rio Grande Valley and I am honored and excited to be a part of that growth. The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center represents the unique mixture of talent, creativity and cultures surfacing from this area; I believe that by preserving and promoting the arts, NMCAC contributes to the social, economic, political and spiritual betterment of our community."

The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center is an organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion and development of the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Mexicano community. This heritage includes the visual arts, music, theatre, dance and literary works. Established in 1991, NMCAC was named after Narciso Martinez, who was known as ìthe father of conjunto music.

            Born on October 29, 1911, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and raised in the community of La Paloma along Old Military Highway, Martinez was one of the first to combine the German accordion with Mexican guitars to form the embryonic conjunto music style. Together with bajo sexto player Santiago Almeida, Martinez made musical history with the 1936 recording of the polka "La Chicharronera" and the schottische "El Tronconal" on the Bluebird record label. His fruitful music career earned Martinez the epithet of "El Huracan del Valle", as well as a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1983.

Martinez's work represents the unique blending of cultures and experiences of the Texas-Mexico border, and captures the essence and philosophy that NMCAC seeks to preserve and promote.

Current NMCAC activities include a writerís forum held every first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.; "El Second Weendsdee", an oral history series on conjunto music held every second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.; accordion lessons every Thursday evening; "North of the Border" airing on Public Radio 88 FM Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.; and the annual 16 de Septiembre Celebration/Narciso Martinez Conjunto Festival.

The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center is located at 220 E. Stenger St., San Benito, Texas. Visits can be scheduled by calling (956) 361-0110.

# # #

I was in Brownsville this past weekend for the first student seminar for ArtsReach:

It's been a while since I last blogged, but preparing for the seminar was time consuming and I tried to tunnel my focus last week to preparing for the symposium on Border Art and Civic Engagement. All in all, I think the symposium went well but not all the students attended, so that would be the only downer about the event. It's okay. They had only known about it for maybe a week or so. But about 10-12 students did go and for the most part I think the students enjoyed the guest speakers' presentations and I think the guest speakers had fun sharing their passions with the students. What I am most interested in seeing is how these students will translate what they learned at this seminar to art. My excitement alone about these creative prospects make me look forward to visiting them in 3 weeks.

I also attended Symphony in the Park at UTB because my brother-in-law plays with the Rio Bravo symphony. I loved the event and I think our $2 bring your own blanket on the lawn seats were the best seats in the house. I was laying on the lawn with my family, watching children play and people socialize, being merry and friendly. I got to hear live music and enjoy the nice, spring weather. The scene resembled a French Impressionist painting! It was great! I also got to visit the new buildings at UTB and I was very, VERY impressed. I think it was even more beautiful than UT-Austin architecture. Afterwards we went to eat tacos. I was so happy, full and sleep deprived (because the night before I didn't sleep preparing the symposium packets) that as soon as I hit the bed I fell asleep.

I miss Brownsville now. I ran into an old friend of mine at the concert and she asked me why I would ever want to return to Brownsville rather than stay in Austin. I didn't know quite how to answer her. Austin is an awesome place and I have pretty much made a home here. But my real home, where my heart is, where my family is and where I will always look to wherever life will take me, is in Brownsville. If anything, Austin helped me appreciate Brownsville so much more. It is through my experiences here that I was able to reflect upon Brownsville life. And it's not like I am going back to chain myself to the walls of the mall or something of thaat nature. I will continue to travel and visit other cities and countries, maybe live in some for a while. I will always look to stretch my own perspectives and to learn about different people and cultures, but Brownsville will be homebase. It's where I will always return to. And maybe for this reason, I am leaving Austin, I am just ready to move on the next phase of my life, to continue my evolution. I am a different person because of Austin since 5 years ago, but Brownsville is a differnet place because of time. When I return, I don't expect to be returning to the same place I left and I look forward to finding my place in my hometown as a new person.

This is a list of influences for my project. Hope you like.

Joe Sacco, comic book journalist.

Love and Rockets:
By the Hernandez Brothers:
Here's a Bio of Jaime Hernandez.

And to a lesser extent for this project, Warren Ellis:

Most importantly "Transmetropolitan."

Here is our VERY UNOFFICIAL Fronteras Cruzadas press release. This version is just for informative purposes and not the official announcement. Our REAL press release will be ready by the end of next week, so if want to obtain to get a copy, e-mail me and I will be happy to send one your way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Brownsville Heritage Complex will be the site for, Fronteras Cruzadas, a new art exhibition showcasing border art from five high schools in Brownsville, Texas: Hanna High School, Lopez High School, Porter High School, St. Joseph Academy and Valley Christian High School. The University of Texas at Austin's College of Fine Arts and the University Cooperative Society is sponsoring this event through ArtsReach, a program designed for undergraduate students to establish residencies in their home communities. “The University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to the long term development of the State of Texas as a whole. This wonderful project is an important part of this effort, and I salute the imagination of our young people in making this happen,” says Dean Robert Freeman of the College of Fine Arts.

The resident coordinators, Mayra Cruz and Francisco Diaz, hope to cast light on Brownsville’s local culture and history through an exhibition of local high school artists. "Through this project it is hoped to help students get in touch with local culture and history. It'll open their eyes and increase awareness of their surroundings. It'll show them the importance of history in Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico and it'll benefit the citizens because it gives them an opportunity to go to the museum and see border art. Too often people forget this museum is here, " says Carmen Zacarias, Executive Director of the Brownsville Heritage Complex which includes the Stillman House Museum. Frank Diaz further comments, “We intend to stimulate curiosity through this project. We feel a working knowledge of history, especially from an underrepresented point of view, is essential for students to understand their role in society, and consequently the world.” The Brownsville ArtsReach program aims to foster this understanding so students can realize art as an opportunity for civic engagement.

The opening reception for Fronteras Cruzadas will be on Saturday, May 15th, 2004 at the Brownsville Heritage Complex located on 1300 East Elizabeth Street, Brownsville, TX, ph. 956-541-5560. The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks and will be located in the Bruce T. Aiken room until Saturday, May 28th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“ Artsreach provides an opportunity for students to learn how to give
back to their home communities. The students who participate in the
program follow a very professional agenda in the development and
implementation of a specific project. They learn how to use their
educational training to have a positive impact on a community through
professional collaborative efforts. In turn the chosen community
learns first hand the value that the University of Texas has in
enriching their lives.”
Ken Hale, Chair of the Department of Art and Art History

"While a central aspect of the mission of the University of Texas at Austin is the education and training of our students, we are also dedicated to the long term development of the State of Texas as a whole. The wonderful artistic project in Brownsville put together by Mayra Cruz and Frank Diaz, two of this year's seniors, is an important part of this effort, and I salute the imagination of our young people in making this happen, work notably facilitated by the University Cooperative Society."
Robert Freeman, Dean of the College of Fine Arts


Q: How do you see the art exhibition benefiting the students and citizens of Brownsville?

A:" Well, its helping students get in touch with culture and history. It'll open their eyes and increase awareness of their surroundings. It'll show them the importance of history in Brownsville and Matamoros. It'll benefit the citizens because it gives them an opportunity for people to go to the museum and see border art. Too often people forget this museum is here. "
Carmen Zacarias, Executive Director of the Brownsville Heritage Complex

The first student seminar is coming up fast! So far we have 4 guest speakers confirmed from the Brownsville community. The most interesting part though is how the students will react to this...will they respond to a room full of leading figures in Brownsville education and culture, giving them their full attention and time? Will they know just how cool this seminar is and how some college students would love to get this sort of personal attention and interest from 4 professionals in one afternoon? Maybe some, but most probably won't. That is what will make the seminars so interesting!

I thought I would put up our most recent ArtsReach program statement so you all can know what's up with the program. Any feedback would be great!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are two students from Brownsville, Texas who want to give back to the art community of our hometown. Brownsville’s culture and history is a wellspring of artistic inspiration. As a product of the Mexican American War, the scene of the final battle of the Civil War, and a point of great intercultural interaction, it is the second most historical city in Texas. However, we feel that these rich resources are being neglected in favor of homogenization and commercial growth, not only by outside regions, but also by its own residents. We envision a program that would promote awareness about Brownsville’s history and identity, a culture in constant evolution through the dialogue between Mexico and the United States. Issues like immigration, trade, cultural exchange, economy, and education clamor for attention from Brownsville residents. The recent boom of corporate and suburban development has swelled the pride and economy of Brownsville and its residents. Yet this becomes problematic if this new pride homogenizes understanding of Brownsville as a growing commercial center, and not as a unique reservoir of culture and history. It is the local art community’s opportunity to reignite interest in these issues.

We endeavor to strike a match through a community ArtsReach program. It will involve direct communication with residents using art as a platform for cultural awareness. We are currently coordinating an art exhibition at the local Brownsville Heritage Complex, home to the Brownsville Historical Association and city founder Charles Stillman’s homestead. The opening reception will be held on Saturday May 15th, 2004 and will be open to the public at large. It’s an event titled “Fronteras Cruzadas” (crossed frontiers/borders), to resonate the border art theme of the exhibition. We will involve at most 14 student artists from Brownsville’s seven high schools in this project, working in a variety of media, two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and four-dimensional (video, film, performance). Our artwork will also be exhibited, which will also adhere to the theme of the exhibition. We will also offer two students seminars to be held on April 3rd and May 8th. The first seminar will cover the theme of the exhibition by introducing students to border issues addressed in art, history and literature. We have invited special quest speakers from the Brownsville community to discuss research methods and resources available to the students. The second seminar will be an artist workshop, which will introduce the students to conceptual and hands-on methods of coordinating an exhibition and an introduction to the business of art.

I think I've settled on an idea for my part of the show. The one about paralleling the experience of immigrants crossing the river with the experience of suburban kids crossing the bridge to Mexico. Mayra liked it. Then I liked it more. Then I told my Anthropology Professor about it and he called it an MTV type thing. I don't know if that was good or not. So I nodded and smiled back and told him "yeah, MTV anthropology." Then he offered to help me with research, cuz he has tons of stuff on immigration.
I'm happy. Its the Mountain Dew. I'm going to need a lot more Mountain Dew to get through next month.

LOL. I thought I would share this with you all. I found this quiz called "what novel do you belong in" at this blog called About Last Night which is about the arts in New York City. Pretty good blog. Hope I can make this blog as good as that one some day.

Here are my results by the way. I belong in a Margaret Mitchell universe.


Darling, it seems that you belong in Gone with the
Wind; the proper place for a romantic. You
belong in a tumultous world of changes and
opportunities, where your independence paves
the road for your survival. It is trying being
both a cynic and a dreamer, no?


Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla

So much has happened this week in concern to Fronteras Cruzadas that it is difficult to assess the progress that has been made. The progress feels good in Brownsville, but I am so afraid that when I get back to Austin I will learn that something was done wrong. It really is this big juggling act. But so far, the feeling is positive and hopefully it will be the same in Austin as it has been in Brownsville.

I had also found a blog for artist Gary Panter, who has done art for The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, MTV and Rolling Stone. He was actually born in Brownsville and in his blog, he says the local sights and sounds (with their Mexican influence) had influenced his artwork, especially the huge movie posters that used to hang outside the old Majestic theatre downtown.

I will probably do more research on his work so I will post more about him when I can. I also took a closer look at the grafitti on Jefferson and 4th. I have to say it's pretty good. I am sure that the artist had done his research by looking at other grafitti samples and planned the piece because it is well composed. Maybe next time I go to Brownsville I will take a digital camera with me so you all can see what I am talking about. Okay, I have to go to bed now. I leave for Austin in about 6 hrs. I want to avoid the Spring Break traffic so I am leaving early. Goodnight!