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SOCC MissionThe SOCC seeks to re-establish the Centro Cultural de la Raza as a relevant and dynamic community cultural Center that is open and responsive to the aspirations of the Chican@ / Mexican@ / Indigena community; that supports the free expression and liberating qualities of our culture; and that embraces all races, ages, genders and sexual preferences. The Save Our Centro Coalition is a member of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture ART |
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The Hummingbird / El ColibriA New SOCC Newsletter / September 2006 |
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Editor's WelcomeSaludos! This has been an exciting year for the Save Our Centro community, and our message of empowerment and social justice through art and culture has been finding receptive ears throughout the country. Wherever we go, we meet artists and communities frustrated by a debilitating disconnect between cultural centers and the people they were founded to serve. In recent months, shake ups at Self-Help Graphics in L.A. and the Guadalupe Cultural Center in San Antonio have reminded us of the importance of our work in San Diego. Additionally, the work of Save Our Centro members continues to have a phenomenal impact on our own community. This year's SOCC-member curated "Bajito y Suavecito" lowrider exhibit at Balboa Park's Automotive Museum was the most attended exhibit in the museum's history. The exhibit, which received tremendous international media attention, introduced the beauty and value of Chicano art and lowrider culture to new audiences in San Diego and around the world. Another success story occurred last month, when Brent and Consuelo from Calaca Press organized an art fundraiser which raised $10,000 to help to restore the eyesight of beloved Chicano Park Steering Committee chair Tomasa "Tommie" Camarillo. These are just two examples of the transformative work that is the hallmark of the SOCC vision. We are confident that we can end the boycott this year. The SOCC is ready with fundraisers, exhibits, performances and community events that will match and even surpass the quality of the Centro's golden years. We have the people. We have the vision. We have the plan. All that remains is for the Centro Board to embrace this opportunity to create a Centro Cultural de la Raza we can all be proud of and we can all be part of. Our community deserves no less. Wish us luck and light a candle for us as we prepare to enter into our third mediation session on September 16. May it be remembered as a great day in Chicano history. Thank you to everyone for your continued friendship and support. Si Se Puede! --- Sandra Peña-Sarmiento and Victor Payan Editors, The Hummingbird / El Colibri P.S. Please visit our website, http://www.saveourcentro.org, for updates, information on SOCC artists and organizations and ways you can help end the boycott. Contact us at: 1. Boycott Update: SOCC Preps for Third Mediation SessionAs we prepare to go into the next mediation session with the Centro, we would like to thank everyone again for their continued support and words of encouragement. We would also like to thank the new Centro Boardmembers for addressing the concerns of the community. By now, we are confident the new Boardmembers understand the depth of their responsibility to the community and their important role in ending the six-year boycott by restoring transparency, direct community input and accountability to the community. Our community has the resources and creative capital to restore the Centro into an institution that we can all be part of and can all be proud of. While it is good to see that the Centro has begun implementing some of the suggestions made by the SOCC in the last round of talks, they have yet to provide active mechanisms for re-integrating the community. This will be the important task of the next mediation session on September 16. The possibility of Board seats for SOCC members, four are currently available, and the reinstitution of the Arts Advisory Committee, which was disbanded in 2000, are positive moves in this direction. A look at the Centro's recent financials reveals that the organization has been operating at dangerous deficits in recent years. Additionally, the Centro's has yet to release an inventory of its collection as requested by the community audit petition, leaving serious concern about the state of the organization's historic art collection. The questions of what happened to the art? What happened to the money? and What happened to the people? still need to be answered, and we will continue to advocate for the information requested in the community audit petition. It is clear that the Centro needs the community and the community needs the Centro. The Centro's latest 990 filings are available for review on the internet as a public resource at http://www.guidestar.org. In order to better inform our constituency, we have established an SOCC mySpace page to augment the information provided in The Hummingbird newsletter and the SOCC website. The mySpace page will feature minutes, in-depth updates and frank discussions on the mediation process for our members. To join this page, please visit http://www.myspace.com/saveourcentrocoalition. As before, the SOCC website, http://www.saveourcentro.org, will continue to archive media coverage and public statements of support for our efforts to end the boycott. For more detailed updates about public issues regarding the mediation and a summary of what it will take to move ahead, please visit http://www.saveourcentro.org or email community@saveourcentro.org. Please feel free to email any comments, suggestions or concerns to community@saveourcentro.org or to any of the community representatives listed below. SOCC Community Representatives Patricio Chavez, pachavez@ucsd.edu 2. National Reaction: Frustrated Communities Support SOCC VisionFrustrated communities from Los Angeles to San Antonio are embracing the Save Our Centro vision as they face increasingly hostile boards that seem to operate without transparency. Artists in Los Angeles report serious concern that the new Board at Self-Help Graphics seems to be repeating some of the same behaviors that resulted in the organization being shut down last year. SHG's fiscal crisis last year resulted in the community
mobilizing to demand transparency and accountability from their beloved
arts organization. Eager to create a professional organization that
serves diverse needs of the community, L.A. Chican@ artists are urging
the Self Help Graphics Board to address its numerous problems and also
to involve the community in finding a permanent director to replace the
interim Executive Director, who was hired last year. Los Angeles artist
Linda Gamboa has been including SHG updates in her blog at http://lindagamboa.blogspot.com/ Click here to read a vivid San Antonio Current article covering community concerns raised at a May 2006 board meeting. On September 1, 2006, the crisis was featured on the Texas Public Radio program Texas Matters. The program, which features interviews with new director R. Bret Ruiz and former Boardmember Gwendolyn Diaz, who resigned from the Guadalupe "decrying the directin of the preeminent Latino arts institution." The podcast of the complete program is available online at http://audio.tpr.org/txm314.mp3. 3. Eyes on the Prize: SOCC Visit to Magu's Mental Menudo Inspires Blog on "Structural Violence"Here is an insightful blog written by Cybele Garcia, who attended this month's Mental Menudo in L.A., where SOCC members Victor Payan and Sandra "Pocha" Peña were guest speakers, along with artist Gregg Stone and a representative from the South Central Farmers: "Magu invited four guest speakers last night to discuss the topic of art and activism. From the Save Our Centro group came artist Pocha Peña and writer Victor Payan. Both involved in the struggle to restore San Diego's Centro Cultural de la Raza to the local community, they talked about the problems which the Centro had, the lock out of the community and the subsequent boycott...Many questions and statements came from the attendees, but the topic kept coming back to what to do about places like Centro de la Raza, Self Help Graphics and the South Central Farm, that have had their very own hearts and souls shunted aside when their communities were locked out. It was a very interesting discussion. The theme that I saw reoccurring is that there is still a real disconnect between American minorities, or ethnic peoples, and the larger political/corporate systems in America. Our country experienced the tacit acceptance of racism (and the violence and murder which accompanied it) up until the Civil Rights era. It goes without saying that America still experiences incidents of racism and violence. And while it is not now acceptable to be an outward racist or misogynist- the issue of structural violence still remains. Structural Violence is defined (by Johan Galtung, Wikipedia) as, "…a form of violence which corresponds with the systematic ways in which a given social structure or social institution prevents individuals from achieving their full potential." The systems we put in place- institutions, organizations, corporations, government entities, etc., have rules, procedures and by-laws that are put into place to help keep us safe and equalize access to services, jobs and products. In theory, these are important and when the systems are well thought out, transparent and have checks and balances, they work well. However, when a small number of people are writing the rules of the systems, hiring inexperienced cronies to management positions, and locking out the stakeholders from the decision making processes, then the systems fail. More than just fail- they become a reason for the alienation, disillusionment and withdrawal of the minority people in American society. When the question of what to do about such problems was put to Ms. Peña, her answer was simple: beat them at their own game with their own rules. In essence: use the law as your sword, the pen as your shield. In many cases these institutions, organizations, etc., have broken laws and their own by-laws to achieve the disenfranchisement they began. All of the organizations named above are being sued for one thing or another- because there are grounds to do so. I say to use the pen as your shield- because getting the word out about what occurred is so important in the courtroom of public opinion. When the public knows what happened and weighs in, pressure comes to the few in power and change occurs. Documenting the events that transpired is also key. Documentation is the stuff of history, and history teaches lessons (well, okay sometimes) and rights wrongs. Transparency is vital for any institution to be truly responsive and responsible. I think that transparency is a radical idea to some- but it has to happen if we are really going to make these organizations- and our democracy- work. Transparency of how the system works, to how much money is made and how it is spent. I could go on a whole tirade about how fear fuels all of this- but I won't. I'll leave the why's to others; I just know that transparency is the attainable goal we must strive to achieve if we want to make our institutions and country work." - Excerpt from Cybele Garcia's Blog 4. Inspiration Point: Art Fundraiser Raises $10,000 for Chicano Park Steering Committee Chair's OperationWhen SOCC members Brent Beltran and Consuelo Manriquez of Calaca Press organized a fundraiser to help pay medical expenses to restore the eyesight of beloved Chicano Park Steering Committee chair Tomasa "Tommie" Camarillo, they never expected their efforts would raise $10,000 in one night. Under the rallying cry of "To See the Beauty of the Chicano Park Murals, Once Again," more than 45 artists from the SOCC community, donated artwork for the fundraiser's auction and raffle. Live entertainment on this special day was provided La Diabla, Los Romanticos, Mariachi Continental de San Diego, The Atomic Cowboys and Chunky Sanchez & Company. Thanks to such a positive outpouring from this community of conciencia and cariño, Tommie will be able to see the murals clearly in time for the $1.6 million dollar Chicano Park Mural Restoration project, which gets underway this December. For more information on Calaca Press and their many books, anthologies and CDs, please email calacapress@cox.net. The Calaca Press catalog can be downloaded at http://www.calacapress.com/pdf/calacatalog2006.pdf. 5. La Neta: SD Mayor Calls for "New Set of Best Practices" Following AuditWith the past mistakes of the Centro administration mirroring the current crisis in San Diego government, we are including this email from SD Mayor Sanders to show how the City is reacting to findings of the Report of the Audit Committee of the City of San Diego (Kroll). We hope the Mayor's call for transparency, accountability and reform at the City will serve as an example to the current Centro Board. We invite the Centro Board to join us in our effort to restore transparency and establish a new set of best practices for the Centro. Together, we can make this a reality. A Message from: Mayor Jerry Sanders "Today, I announced that I will enthusiastically accept all of the remedial recommendations made by Kroll. I believe that it’s in the City’s best interests to accept them and more importantly, to implement them. There are two ways that we can choose to look upon the remedial actions. We can look upon them negatively as punishment being forced upon us or we can look upon them as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish a new set of best practices for ourselves and government bodies in similar situations. For too long, San Diego has been held up as the example of how not to do things. We now have an opportunity to embrace reform and serve as an example of how a city can credibly get its affairs in order and move on to a very productive future. In summary, we can be victims and obstructionists or we can be pioneers. I choose to be a pioneer...Today, we have a marvelous opportunity to embrace reform and move San Diego forward." 6. SOCC Member Happenings*** Aztec Gold's "Rudos y Tecnicos" is 2nd Major SOCC Member Event in Balboa Park This Year SOCC members Victor Payan and Sandra "Pocha" Peña wowed a diverse audience at the Museum of the Living Artist with their new Aztec Gold extravaganza, "Rudos y Tecnicos." Hosted by Mexican wrestler Lou Chalibre, the event, which featured a live luchanovela, masked painter smackdowns, a video featuring San Diego's own Chicanonauts and lots of audience participation, drew an overflow crowd of 250 people into the Balboa Park institution. The event also included an exhibit featuring artwork by Alma Lopez, Ricardo Duffy, Robert Sanchez, Ricardo Islas, Germs, Chikle and Andi Brandenburg. The event also featured the talents of Jeffrey Beringer, Jefferson Jay, Perry Vasquez, Rebecca Romani, Zuri Waters and "luch-artistas" Bob Rob Medina, Edmundo Soto, Endy and Ricardo Duffy as well as Mexican wrestlers So Cal Crazy and Latin Blood. "Rudos y Tecnicos," which was the Museum of the Living Artist's most attended event of the summer, marks the second major Balboa Park event organized by SOCC members this year. For more information and to see a slideshow of the event, please visit http://www.aztecgoldtv.com. *** SOCC Bands Perform at Pride and Pachanga de Orgullo Fundraiser for Gay & Lesbian Center's Latino Services Program Orquesta Binacional de Mambo, the 20-piece cross-border musical melting pot led by SOCC member Bill Caballero, performed a dazzling set at this year's San Diego Pride festival. Not to be outdone, the dynamite Rhythm and the Method, whose sound is a cross between Patti Smith and Janis Joplin, played three sets at the festival. Led by talented singer-songwriter Rhythm Turner, this amazing outfit, which also features Rhythm's father and brother, is winning over fans with their passionately political mix of powerful lyrics and fiercely funky rock and roll. For more information on these bands or to listen to music samples, visit http://www.billcaballeromusic.com and http://www.myspace.com/rhythmandthemethod. Fans of Bill Caballero's music also had the opportunity to catch his sizzling band Trece de la Suerte at the August 26 Pachanga de Orgullo Latin Pride fundraiser to benefit the San Diego Gay & Lesbian Center's Latino Services project. The fundraiser, which took place at the San Diego Auto Museum in Balboa Park, featured live music and dancing. For more information on the the Center's Latino Services project or to find out how you can help support this important program, please visit http://www.thecentersd.org/latinoservices.asp or e-mail Sarafina Scapicchio at sscapicchio@thecentersd.org. *** Hot Monkey Love Café Moves to Larger Locale The Hot Monkey Love Cafe has moved from its familiar brightly painted and mural adorned College-area location to a larger building a little further down the road. According to owners Rick and Alma Felan, the new cafe, located at 6875 El Cajon Blvd. will serve triple duty as a cafe, performance space and hub for community organizations. The cafe, which is expected to reopen on September 8, will feature the all-ages venue's signature blend of jazz, rock, hip hop and acoustic music as well as its popular salsa lessons, open mic nights, innovative art exhibits, murals and schedule of meetings for community groups. Since opening in 2003, the cafe has hosted more than three thousand bands and countless performers at its friendly open mic nights. One of the few all-ages venues in the area, the Hot Monkey Love Cafe has earned a national reputation among independent musicians as a must-play locale. If you would like to find out more about the new location or lend a hand in the preparation of the new space, please email hotmonkeylovecafe@yahoo.com or visit http://www.hotmonkeylovecafe.com. *** SOCC Members Featured in Chican@ Art Magazine Earlier this month, SOCC members Victor Payan and Sandra "Pocha" Peña organized a San Diego release party for the new "Chican@ Art Magazine," which features an article on Payan and SOCC member Perry Vasquez's Keep on Project. San Diego's own Chicanonauts were also represented in an article on the Project MASA exhibit. Chicanonauts in attendance included Payan and Peña as well as SOCC members Robert Sanchez, Emiko Lewis-Sanchez, Ricardo Islas, Nuvia Guerra and Patricio Chavez. Chican@ Art Magazine editor Laura Molina, Art Director Oscar Magallanes, and cover artist Germs drove down from LA to enjoy the cafe's signature Meximochas and sell and sign the much-anticipated inaugural issue. For more information on Chican@ Art Magazine, visit http://www.chicanoartmagazine.com. *** Valerie Aranda Completes Community "Lideres" Mural in San Antonio SOCC member Valerie Aranda recently worked with local residents and a pair of guest artists from Georgia to complete a community mural in San Antonio, Texas. The mural, which was created as part of the Muralist in Residence Project at San Anto Cultural Arts, features a host of inspirational figures from San Antonio's history, including legendary San Antonio civil rights leader Emma Tenayuca, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center founder Rudy Diamond, "La Reyna de Rock and Roll Mexicano" Gloria Rios and poet Trinidad Sanchez Jr., who passed away last month. The blessing for the colorful mural, which is painted on the wall of the historic Buena Vista Gardens Building, located at the corner of Buena Vista and Colorado, will take place on Saturday, September, 16 from 6pm to 10pm. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about San Anto Cultural Arts or to view a virtual tour of the organizations 32 other murals, please visit http://www.sananto.org. *** Chicano Park Steering Committee and Brown Berets Demand Cultural Center Promised for Vacant Mercado Site SOCC members the Chicano Park Steering Committee (CPSC) and
the Brown Berets de Aztlan held a press conference on Saturday, August
19 calling for the City to recognize community plans for a cultural
center and museum developed for a vacant parcel of land next to the
internationally acclaimed Chicano Park. The CPSC demanded that plans,
which were developed as part of the failed Mercado Project, be included
in the proposals being prepared by developers currently vying for the
site. SOCC member and muralist Victor Ochoa is fighting to save a
mural he painted with students at Sherman Elementary. The mural is
facing demolition when the school is razed later this year. The
artist, who continues to build bridges among communities recently
helped organize the B-Boy Bar-B-Q at Chicano Park and designed the new
international arts cottages at Market Creek Plaza. Despite his talent
for creating public art projects throughout San Diego, He has received
much support in this cause, and the Centro reported that they were
approached by a funder who wanted to help in this regard. Because the
boycott is still in effect, Ochoa requested that they forward the
information to him so that he could communicate with the funder
directly. As a lead artist in the Chicano Park Mural Restoration
Manual, Ochoa is versed in the latest technologies and techniques for
saving and relocating murals and is eager to apply some of these to the
Sherman Heights mural. If anyone is interested in helping Victor Ochoa
save his Sherman Heights mural, please email vochoa@att.net or call 619-818-0173.
For more information on Victor Ochoa's effort to save the Sherman
Heights Elementary mural, please visit http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060705/news_1m5mural.html. For more SOCC Member Happenings, visit http://www.saveourcentro.org/news.html. 7. What YOU Can Do To HelpStay informed! Join our new mySpace page, located at http://www.myspace.com/saveourcentrocoalition Write Letters of Support to community@saveourcentro.org Help Find Out What Happened to the Art? What Happened to the Money? What happened to the People? SUPPORT THE BOYCOTT! Website: http://www.saveourcentro.org
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Contents1. Boycott Update: SOCC Preps for Third Mediation Session2. National Reaction: Frustrated Communities Support SOCC Vision3. Eyes on the Prize: SOCC Visit to Magu's Mental Menudo Inspires Blog on "Structural Violence"4. Inspiration Point: Art Fundraiser Raises $10,000 for Chicano Park Steering Committee Chair's Operation5. La Neta: SD Mayor Calls for "New Set of Best Practices" Following Audit6.
SOCC Member Happenings
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