‘Que tal guey?’ by Gregg Stone will be one of the pieces of art to be exhibited when the 21st De Colores Art Show: “In Search of Magulandia,” holds its opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Santa Paula Art Museum. Image courtesy of the Santa Paula Art Museum and the collection of the artist.
Exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum celebrates 21st year in the city
For the 21st year, Santa Paula will play host to the De Colores Art Show, an event that brings together the works of artist from throughout Ventura County and elsewhere in Southern California and the Southwest.
However, this year’s event will feature the theme “In Search of Magulandia,” with the opening with a celebration on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Santa Paula Art Museum.
Featuring works by more 30 artists, the show is a tribute to the legacy of visionary Chicano artist Gilbert “Magu” Luján (1940 – 2011). Magu was a founding member of the groundbreaking Los Angeles art collective Los Four in the early 1970s. With their historic exhibition at LACMA in 1974, Los Four brought Chicano art into national conversation.
Magu’s work, with its colorful blending of Chicano iconography and contemporary Los Angeles scenes, continues to inspire artists to express their own unique voice, the Santa Paula Museum of Art reported.
While famous as one of the foremost figures in Chicano art, Magu is also remembered as a friend and mentor to fellow artists like Xavier Montes, founder of the De Colores Art Show, which has been held annually in Santa Paula for over 20 years. Magu exhibited his artwork in the De Colores Art Show for many years, and also led workshops for Santa Paula students. It is Luján’s legacy of encouraging and sharing ideas with other artists that is being celebrated in In Search of Magulandia. Montes and co-curator Vanessa Acosta invited artists to create artworks inspired by their relationship with Magu.
‘Dreamscape,’ by Eloy Torrez, will be one of the pieces on display at the 21st annual De Colores Art Show, Oct. 18 through Feb. 22 at the Santa Paula Art Museum. The opening reception is Oct. 18. Image courtesy of the collection of the artist.
“We wanted many generations of Mexican-American and Chicano artists to be represented,” Acosta said. “As the show began to develop and the artists’ work began to arrive, one could not help but feel the love and respect that these artists have for their late friend Magu.”
The exhibition’s opening-day celebration on Oct. 18 will feature events at both the Santa Paula Art Museum and the nearby Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum. The Santa Paula Art Museum’s reception will run from noon to 4 p.m., featuring music by Conjunto Los Pochos led by Magu’s eldest son, Otoño Luján. The MVC Agriculture Museum reception will run from 4 to 6 p.m., featuring music by Mike Molina and Los Fabulocos.
Guests at the reception will also be able to view the famous “Magulandia Family Car,” Magu’s colorfully painted 1950 Chevy Coupe. The car will be on display at the MVC Agriculture Museum along with a number of Magu’s original artworks through Feb. 1, 2015.
Admission to the opening receptions is $3 at each museum. To attend the events at both museums, guests may purchase a $5 wristband at the Santa Paula Art Museum. Both events are free for SPAM and MVC Members as well as students. This event is generously sponsored by Calavo, Clinicas del Camino Real, Guerrero Insurance Services, La Cabana, Latino Town Hall, Gayel Childress, Vanessa Frank and Rebeca Mendoza.
‘Magulandia Family Car: A 1950 Chevy Styleline Coupe.' Photo courtesy of Paul Dunlap
The exhibition features artists Juliane Backmann, Armando Baeza, Grace Barraza-Vega, Anna Ríos Bermúdez, Jackie Bermúdez, David Botello, Oscar Castillo, Gayel Childress, Ray Cirerol, Paty Diaz, Ricardo Flores, Angel Guerrero, Jaime Guerrero, Wayne Healy, Maribel Hernández, Sergio Hernández, Nicholas Herrera, Pola Lopez, Heriberto Luna, Isabel Martínez, El Moisés, Mike Molina, Louie Moreno, Angel María Ortíz S., Gilbert Ortiz, Sylvia Raz, Kevin Stewart-Magee, Gregg Stone, Eloy Torrez, Mario Trillo, Manuel Unzueta, Andrea Vargas-Mendoza, Doreen Villanueva, J Michael Walker and Gerald Zwers. The show runs through February 22, 2015.
The Santa Paula Art Museum is at 117 North 10th St., Santa Paula. The museum’s regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and is free for museum members and students. For more information, contact the museum at 805-525-5554.
The MVC Agriculture Museum is at 926 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula. Call the MVC Agriculture Museum, 805-525-3100, for more information.