Local Arts Organization Features Hispanic Artists and Musicians from Across the Country
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin – With a colorful medley of topics and sounds, the fall Latino Arts lineup is highly unique this year. Featuring moving collections based on social justice and human nature and performances incorporating smooth jazz and lively mariachi, this fall’s programing will not disappoint.
The Latino Arts Gallery fall exhibitions will commence with the installation of Broken Dreams/Sueños Rotos by Ximena Soza, a thought-provoking collection centered on social justice. Broken Dreams will be followed by the Día de los Muertos Ofrendas, an annual exhibit highlighting local artists who celebrate the lives of their loved ones who have passed. Finally, our fall programming will come to a close with Pastoral Testimony by Rafael Francisco Salas, an inspiring piece that juxtaposes the “natural” and the “constructed,” examining how these elements interact.
Additionally, the Latino Arts Auditorium will host Mariachi Flor de Toloache, the first all-female mariachi band led by Mexican-Dominican violist, Mireya Ramos. Weeks later, Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet, led by Peruvian trumpeter Gabriel Alegria, will take the stage, creating contemporary jazz melodies inspired by rhythms from all over the world.
To see or hear a preview of an upcoming exhibition or performance in the Gallery or Auditorium, visit www.latinoartsinc.org. Connect with Latino Arts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/latinoartsinc and follow @latinoartsinc on Twitter.
Performances
Mariachi Flor de Toloache
Friday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Latino Arts Auditorium
Mexican-Dominican violist Mireya Ramos broke the mold in 2008 when she founded Mariachi Flor de Toloache, the first all-female mariachi band in New York City. The group started as a trio but now boasts a roster of thirteen musicians from throughout the world, including Mexico, Germany, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the United States.
Mariachi Flor de Toloache was created to preserve Mexico’s rich musical culture and infuse it with edgy sonic influences as diverse as the musicians’ backgrounds. The band’s performances are as enchanting and spellbinding as the mystical Toloache flower used in love potions.
Student Matinees: Thursday, November 3 & Friday, November 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Friday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Latino Arts Auditorium
Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet create a “cross-cultural exchange” between world rhythms and contemporary jazz melodies. Led by Peruvian trumpeter and Associate Director of Jazz Studies at New York University Gabriel Alegria, the group have spent the last decade together performing hundreds of shows and master classes throughout the world and taking in cultural influences to weave into their sound.
The group’s expansive musical journeys hypnotize jazz aficionados and casual listeners alike, and The New York Times praised Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet’s capacity to “[explore] the affinities between modern jazz and the Afro-Latin continuum in Peru.”
Student Matinees: Thursday, March 10 & Friday, March 11 at 10:30 a.m.
Tickets:
Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Tickets for evening performances in the Latino Arts Auditorium:
Tickets for the evening show are $15 for general admission in advance ($20 at the door), $10 for seniors 60 and over and full-time students in advance ($15 at the door), and $8 per student in groups of 10 or more. Our Dinner & A Show special features Café el Sol’s Friday fish buffet before the performance (beverage and gratuity not included) for $25 in advance ($30 at the door). Advance tickets prices are available until 11:59 p.m. the day before the show.
Ticket prices for student matinee performances in the Latino Arts Auditorium: $12 Adults & Seniors, $8 Students & Kids (3 Years and Older)
Exhibitions
Broken Dreams/Sueños Rotos by Ximena Soza
September 16 – October 14
Chilean born artist, poet, and educator Ximena Soza has dedicated her adult life to social justice. Ximena finds whatever avenues she can to make a difference in the community, whether she’s writing and performing with theater companies including the Milwaukee Public Theatre or using artistic expression to conduct group therapy sessions in mental health centers and schools. She has exhibited visual arts throughout the United States and Mexico and frequently contributes to Latino Arts’ annual Día de los Muertos Ofrendas display.
Broken Dreams/Sueños Rotos focuses on the beauty and fragility of objects such as tree branches and glass. The delicate and sometimes broken pieces come together to represent the dreams that never came to fruition, but letting go of these dreams comes with a freedom to welcome new dreams.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 24| 5:00 p.m.
Día de los Muertos Ofrendas
October 28 – November 18
Celebrate life with Latino Arts’ annual Day of the Dead exhibition, featuring a dazzling array of ofrendas (altars) prepared by local, regional, and international artists.
This year, Eddee Daniel, a photographer who specializes in urban ecologies, and Melanie Ariens, an environmental artist will present, “The Kinnickinnic River: Death and Resurrection.” This ofrenda will represent the Kinnickinnic River’s current state as a concrete channel and the promise of its restoration through the Kinnickinnic River Corridor Neighborhood Plan (KK Project). The installation is intended to reinforce the treacherous conditions that exist while the altar will represent the more hopeful future and signify the restored vitality that is envisioned in the KK Project, suggesting both death and rebirth.
Additionally, the fifth grade students of University School of Milwaukee will present, “Ventanas al pasado” (“Windows to the past”). After exploring the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos, students will choose a family member, famous role model or group of inspiring individuals and create a contemporary ofrenda using repurposed windows. These colorful creations paired with the weathered wood of the vintage windows will celebrate each student’s connection to the bygone era.
Opening Reception: Friday, November 4 | 5:00 p.m.
Pastoral Testimony by Rafael Francisco Salas
December 2 – February 2017
Rafael Francisco Salas brings to life juxtapositions between what occurs naturally and what is constructed and examines how these elements complement or create conflict. His drawings begin with landscapes and the moods they inspire and reach out to embrace what man-made creations then interplay with natural elements to dichotomize what is perceived with what is felt. Pastoral Testimony presents the many instances in which noble aspirations beget uninspired constructs.
Latino Arts is proud to showcase Mr. Salas’ work in the Latino Arts Gallery for the first time since hosting his exhibition Substituting Emptiness in 2007.
Opening Reception: Friday, December 2 | 5:00 p.m.
Exhibitions in the Latino Arts Gallery are open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for a suggested donation of $1.
Educational Workshops
Día De Los Muertos: Ofrendas & Origins
November 14,15,16,17 – 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Local artist Nicole Acosta will guide workshop participants through a brief history lesson of Día de los Muertos including the many symbols associated with the celebration. Students will craft miniature ofrendas of their own utilizing a variety of supplies to mirror the symbols they have seen in their own artistic tributes.
Registration required. $8 per student plus $2 supply fee. Gallery tour included
For more information, visit the For Teachers page on www.latinoartsinc.org.
The Latino Arts Auditorium & Gallery are located in the United Community Center at 1028 South 9th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204.
About Latino Arts, Inc.
With roots going back more than 25 years, Latino Arts, Inc. was formally established in 1997. Since then, the organization has brought cultural awareness, artistic and educational experiences, and a diversity of Hispanic artists from throughout the Spanish-speaking world to share their talents with the greater Milwaukee community. More information is available at www.latinoartsinc.org