(Carson, CA) – The College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has received a $4,500 Humanities For All Quick Grant from California Humanities to create the art exhibition “Legend and Legacy: José Guadalupe Posada and Contemporary Latinx Art.” The exhibit will run Oct. 2 through Dec. 13 in CSUDH’s University Art Gallery.
“Legend and Legacy: José Guadalupe Posada and Contemporary Latinx Art” will be a multimedia exhibit and a series of public programs tracing the influence of Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913) on contemporary Latinx artists. Known for his animated skeleton figures—or calaveras—that have become a symbol of Day of the Dead observances, Posada chronicled and satirized his society in street art that appealed to the public during the reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz.
“Day of the Dead in the U.S. has become institutionalized over the years, and few know the critical role of Latinx artists in popularizing it, along with the work of Posada,” said Rod Hernandez, associate professor of English at CSUDH and project director. “The exhibit will provide the unique opportunity for audiences to examine the genealogy of an image, tracing the calavera figure in Posada’s satirical illustrations to its profound impact upon generations of Mexican and Chicana/o artists over the last century, and finally to its continuing presence within U.S. popular culture.”
California Humanities is a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment of the Humanities. Its Humanities For All Quick Grant is a competitive grant program that supports locally-initiated public humanities projects that respond to the needs and interests of Californians, encourage greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly among underserved communities, and promote understanding and empathy among California residents to help cultivate a thriving democracy.
