Guest commentary: Make original art your gift for sharing the holiday season at Acuña Gallery @ Café on A

To supporters of the Cafe on A:

I am Jaime Casillas, a long-time supporter of the Cafe on A in Oxnard. This letter is unsolicited. My wife (Helen) and I have been Chicano/a Art Collectors for over ten years. The first piece of original Chicano/a Art that we purchased came from the very first art exhibit at the Cafe when it first opened. We own the original painting known as “El Chisme” by Augustin Bravo. If you you were to see it right now, you would remember it. Since then we have acquired other original art, most of it through Armando and Debbie. I am writing to encourage those of you who have not learned about the magic of having original art in your home to open the door to a new experience. Here some of the things that served to instill in us a great appreciation and understanding about original art.

1. When you acquire an original piece of art, you are acquiring a creation that emanated from the mind and soul of a person who sought to express their thoughts through imagery. Every time you look at the painting, you will remember the story behind it and the artist who stood behind it. It has meaning.
2. In the case of Chicano Art, by its very definition, there is usually a social-political message about the struggles that Chicano/as live with every day. In most cases, Chicano/a Art is intended to provoke you to think about something that needs to be changed for the betterment of all, usually some form of social equity. And, of course, it’s beautiful.
3. In our home many times the original art serves as the focal point for many conversations about where the art came from, the artist, what s/he was trying to share with us, the beauty, etc.
4. We do not have a single print in our home because prints that you get at the usual retail stores stand for nothing. They just manufactured art. They are simply a form of furniture that you put on the wall. Original art, on the other hand, is alive. Almost always one of a kind. It means something.
5. I know many artists and for whatever reason, they are usually struggling to make ends meet, even some of the nationally acclaimed Smithsonian types who I have met. Maybe it’s because they spend most of their energy working to express themselves and to share their message about the things that burden them and they don’t have much time to be what some refer to as “logical,” sterile, and business-like. I am not sure but we need to do more to support them.

I am not a painter/artist. I am a person who has learned to appreciate original art and the important role that it plays in our society and can play in our lives.. I encourage you to explore this opportunity. Go to the Cafe on A and take home the first piece of original art that catches your eye.

— The Acuña Gallery @ Café on A is at 438 S. A St. Oxnard. Visit https://www.facebook.com/cafeona?ref=ts&v=wall, http://www.cafeona.org or send an email to cafeonastreet@gmail.com for more information.