McNay Art Museum Champions Chicana Artists in its Newest Exhibition, Estampas Chicanas

On View Through May 5, 2019

San Antonio, TX (January 21, 2019) – A series of striking prints now line the walls of the Butt Paperworks Gallery at the McNay Art Museum, this time focusing solely on Chicana artists, many of whom have had to fight to make their voices heard.The exhibition, Estampas Chicanas, aims to increase the visibility of Chicana artists who have been historically overlooked, especially in important social developments like the Chicano labor movement. The artworks in this exhibition are generous gifts of Harriett and Ricardo Romo, and include works by Judy Baca, Patssi Valdez, Barbara Carrasco, Ester Hernandez, Alma Lopez, and others.

Estampas Chicanas is the latest exhibition in a series drawn from donations made to the Museum by the Romos. Since 2008, the philanthropic family has donated more than 450 objects to the collection. Many of the works in this exhibition are recent donations and have never been exhibited at the McNay before.

“Thanks to the Romos, the McNay has developed one of the most important collections of contemporary Latino/a printmaking in the country,” said Lyle Williams, McNay Curator of Prints and Drawings. “Several exhibitions drawn entirely from their gifts have already been organized, and there will be more to come.”

For the inquisitive visitor, an interactive kiosk will be available in the gallery, highlighting information about related topics and people in the exhibition—including Emma Tenayuca—the San Antonio-based labor leader who organized a pecan shellers’ strike in 1938. A free performance honoring Tenayuca will take place at the Museum on Thursday, January 24 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a book signing with the authors and illustrator of the original children’s book, ¡No Es Justo!: Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice.

Estampas Chicanas will be on view through May 5, 2019.

Images of Artwork:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uepsf3d27dp6ztr/AADbcXpzygZ7ox0Gh5aVOKODa?dl=0

Suggested Tweet: @McNayArt spotlights Chicana artists in #EstampasChicanas. Now on view! mcnayart.org/exhibitions/current/estampas-chicanas

About the McNay Art Museum

The McNay Art Museum engages a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts. Built in the 1920s by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay, the Spanish Colonial Revival residence became the site of Texas’s first museum of modern art when it opened in 1954. Today, more than 194,000 visitors a year enjoy works by modern masters including Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The 23 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds include sculptures by Robert Indiana, Luis A. Jiménez Jr., George Rickey, Joel Shapiro, and Kiki Smith. The 45,000-square-foot Jane & Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions, designed by internationally renowned French architect Jean-Paul Viguier, features three significant exhibitions annually.

For almost 65 years, the McNay has enchanted visitors with its art, architecture, and ambiance. The museum offers rich and varied exhibitions as well as rotating displays in the Main Collection Galleries from the 20,000 works in the collection; more than 42,000 adults, teachers, students, and families take advantage of a variety of education programs and innovative educational resources.

Media Contact

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