Day 2
Today I went out to Long Beach to visit the Museum of Latin American Art. My guide book alerted me to the fact that this was the largest museum dedicated to Latin American Art in the city of LA and thus worth the trip outside of LA proper.
Being Sunday, the museum was offering free admission and therefore had a wide variety of visitors, including many families who may have been deterred at other times by the admission price.
I spoke to the gentleman at the ticket counter about youth offerrings at the museum. He directed me to their summer camp which is divided into three age groups from 5 years old to 16 years old. Each camp runs from 9 am to 5 pm and costs only $100 for 5 days. Pretty incredible! The teen program, iCreate, is an opportunity to do graphic arts on the computer. Sounds great!
Being Sunday, the museum was offering free admission and therefore had a wide variety of visitors, including many families who may have been deterred at other times by the admission price.
I spoke to the gentleman at the ticket counter about youth offerrings at the museum. He directed me to their summer camp which is divided into three age groups from 5 years old to 16 years old. Each camp runs from 9 am to 5 pm and costs only $100 for 5 days. Pretty incredible! The teen program, iCreate, is an opportunity to do graphic arts on the computer. Sounds great!
The newest exhibit at MOLAA is called Katharsis, a multi-media look at Mexico's lucha libre, freestyle fighting that traces back to the Aztec warriors. Lucha libre has huge pop culture influence and is known for its elaborate costumes and masks as shown here. What is most notable about this picture is that it features a woman, 1991 fighter La Diabolica, taken by Rosalia Vera Franco. Most lucha libre fighters are men and in fact woman are rarely chosen as pop culture icons. Still, they are an important part of lucha libre history.
The exhibit showed many action photos--both contemporary and historic. This photo, taken by Arturo Ortega Navarette in 1965, depicts a women's fight in Pachuca Hidalgo. Having been exposed to lucha libre by the Latino community in the U.S. and never heard of female participation, I was surprised to see that women had long been a part of the lucha libre tradition.
This photo really struck me because it showed La Briosa in 1980 as a mother and caretaker while still being a fierce fighter and member of a longstanding cultural tradition. Taken by Lourdes Grobet, I think photos like this are really important for students to see, both Latino and not, male and female, because it expands what it means to be not just a Mexican woman but also a woman in general. In turn, what it means to be a man can also grow.
Going through my pictures for this post, I noticed this one and really liked it. You can see my reflection taking the picture of this fighter toweling off after a fight. Her commitment and strength is evident in this photo. I read at the exhibit that there is a film called La Bestia Magnifica about women's involvement in lucha libre. Although the film supposedly does not do the women justice, I am interested in learning more. I am not sure exactly how this will fit into my work to increase parental involvement at my school, but I have a sense that there is something here.