Holding / Mantener

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Holding/Mantener
Curated by Anna Morales
Saturday, June 10th - Friday, August 4th
Reception: Saturday, June 10th 5-8PM time

The Latino Center of Art and Culture is proud to host Holding/Mantener, a group exhibition curated by Anna Morales featuring the art of 8 Latine women artists working in sculpture, ceramics, painting, print and mixed media artworks.
The artists of Holding/Mantener find inspiration for their artworks in their cultures and communities. These artists raise up and make visible the traditions of their cultural language by revisiting or carrying on traditional forms of art making: Alejandra Magaña, Angelina Ibarra Vicente and Ramona Garcia employ familiar processes of craft such as ceramics and doll making to investigate contemporary forms and symbolism. Other artists such as Ashley Ortiz-Diaz, Gia Moreno and Maria Mariscal consider ideas of erasure and reinvention of their cultural, racial and political predecessors. Whether highlighting the traditions of their communities or considering absence and loss, the works included in Holding/Mantener are rooted in the artist’s individual relationships to their culture and Latinidad.

Anna Morales, the curator of Holding/Mantener, is an artist, advocate, educator and curator based in Sacramento, CA. She has taught arts related workshops and classes at domestic and sexual violence shelters, the Yolo Detention Center Women's Prison and Verge Centers for the Arts. As a cultural worker she has held positions at Schumacher Architectural Ceramic Gallery, Work of Art also known as Southside Art Center, Verge Center for the Arts and Industrial Minerals Company, a ceramics manufacturing warehouse where she also teaches pottery classes. As a curator she wants to continue to promote artists from the Latine community and build connections with neighboring cultural centers.

“These artists are the present culture, keeping old traditions alive by reinventing them and shining different lights on perception and self-reflection. Whether it's sculpture, installation and conceptual art or craft, each holds space in Latine culture just by creating and showcasing their work to the public. I’m delighted to showcase these artists and their incredible work with the full support of the Latino Center of Art and Culture.” - Anna Morales, Curator

An artists’ reception will be held Saturday, June 10th from 5-8PM at Latino Center of Art and Culture (2700 Front Street Sacramento, CA 95818). All members of the community are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. The exhibition will be on view at Latino Center of Art and Culture until August 4th. Viewing hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12 - 5PM or by appointment.

About the Artists:

● Ramona Garcia is a Sacramento based painter and paper mache artist. Her current practice focuses on doll-making as a tool for art therapy. Ramona graduated from UC Berkeley and has exhibited her artworks and led workshops at locations such as TANA (Woodland), WAL Gallery (Sacramento) and Verge Center for the Arts (Sacramento).

● Elke Gomez is a Delta based multi-disciplinary artist favoring mixed media polymer clay sculptures, both functional and non-functional ceramic creations, and watercolor and ink paintings. She is influenced by the balance of nature's cycles, duality of life and the human condition. As a child of a military family she spent time in Europe where the macabre European folklore also shaped her work.

● Andrea Lizalde Sanchez is a Mexican artist and her use of media is often considered part of the “home maker” sphere; knitting, crocheting, sewing, and making natural inks and dyes. Her work reflects what it is to be an immigrant; choosing which aspects of traditional crafts to keep alive and letting go of the parts tied to generational trauma and the patriarchy and creating artworks that use traditional materials with modern concerns.

● Maria Mariscal is a Chicana Sacramento based multimedia artist. She received her BFA from Sacramento State and has exhibited her works at locations such as The University Union Gallery (Sacramento), Coordinates: Ice Pac (Sacramento) and the Shadow Box (Sacramento).

● Gia Moreno is a ceramicist and multicultural educator based in Sacramento. She received her BA from Sacramento State University and later her Masters in Multicultural Education, also from Sacramento State University. She is deeply rooted in the Chicano and Indigenous civil rights movement, dedicating her career in creating culturally relevant curriculum.

● Ashley Ortiz-Diaz is a Florida born artist and teacher living in Sacramento. She received her BFA from the University of South Florida and MFA from the University of Florida. Solo presentations include The Burb Contemporary (Sacramento), Fresh as Fruit (Deland, FL) and 4Most Gallery (Gainesville, FL).

● Alejandra Magaña is a multidisciplinary designer and the second half of Echeri Ceramics. She received her Bachelors in Fine Art and Arts Education at Sacramento State University. She co-founded Echeri Ceramics with her husband Luis and they have been designing modern functional ceramics in Sacramento since 2017.

● Angelina Ibarra Vicente is a nature enthusiast, local ceramicist and potter, using clay to heal and process positive and negative emotions. She specializes in small batches, creating works in Sacramento where she is a classroom assistant and behavior technician.

About Latino Center of Art and Culture
The mission of the Latino Center of Art and Culture is to foster artistic, economic and cultural development of the Sacramento region's Latine community by presenting, exhibiting, and providing excellent artistic programs and services to Latinx artists, organizations and families. Learn more about LCAC at thelatinocenter.org