Last Minute

I think of myself as someone who gets things done well before they're due, but I certainly fell flat with the Whatcom Museum's most recent exhibition, "Images of Resilience: Chicana/o Art and Its Mexican Roots."

It opened on on February 2, and will close 5 p.m. this Sunday, May 28. I first set foot in it on Wednesday, and had hoped to blip something from it then, but I forgot to take a camera, and my old phone doesn't take high resolution photos.

So back I went today, with my trusty Sony RX-100, and had a quick stroll among my favorite works in this fascinating exhibit. The museum's website notes that the exhibit "...explores the development of Chicana/o art, from its beginnings in Mexican art of the late 1900s, to the Chicana/o movement of the 1960s and '70s, to its relevance today."

This work by Seattle-based Alfredo Arreguín, Good Harvest (2006), was one of my favorites. Make it as large as you can on your computer or "device" so you can enjoy the level of detail! I love the saturated colors and wish I knew more about the imagery the artist used -- for example, what are the relationships between the Virgin Mary on the upper right and the young boy on the lower left with Cesar Chavez, the central subject?

I was also drawn to Carmen Lomas Garza's Tamalada (Tamal-making Party), 1990, which you can see in the extra. It's done in a quieter, more realistic style, and I like the several generations at work on this project.

If you're in the area, the museum is open both Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, noon until 5 p.m., and this exhibit is well worth a visit!

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