EXHIBIT ON VIEW
Our first exhibit of 2019 is original and unique to the Latino community. The exhibit traces the contribution of international, national, and local events in the formation of the Latino community of Central California. CAMINOS: Latino History of the Central Valley, presents the Latino and Mexican experience from our early colonial history through our present day.
Using artifacts, including interviews, photographs, maps, and media, from residents of the Central Valley, we pieced together a journey that celebrates the flourishing Chicano and Latino population. We highlight the successes and the challenges faced by Latinos from the past and present.
Led by historian Dr. Alex Saragoza, Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley, and a native of Madera, California, researchers, scholars, and interns developed a historical framework spanning several generations to feature the experiences of early Mexican settlers in the Central Valley.
The exhibit demonstrates ways in which anti-immigrant legislation against Chinese, Japanese, and Europeans at the turn of the 20th century contributed to the recruitment of Mexican farm labor. During World War I and through most of the 1920s, Mexicans began to settle in the Central Valley, establishing a network that would facilitate further migration to the area.
The exhibit begins in 1772 with the first Spanish explorations through the valley and then turns toward the Mexican (1821-1848) and Early American (1848-1900) periods that witnessed the economic transformation of the valley and attracted so many groups from the eastern and southern parts of the U.S. as well as immigrants from Asia, Europe, and eventually from Mexico in particular. Subsequently, in a series of chronologically arranged intervals, the exhibit takes the story to the present.
The narrative highlights the development of a community bound by language and culture whose integration—however fitful and uneven—has enriched valley life. The story is one of change, resilience, and resistance, from the struggles of the Great Depression years and the civil rights era to the achievements of Latina entrepreneurs and the brave service of Latino soldiers.
Some information may be scarcely known facts, such as the “Fiesta” put on by the KKK in the 1920s at the Fresno Fair grounds, while in the same year the Mexican community celebrated their own “Fiestas Patrias.” Or that in 1960 only about a dozen Mexican origin students graduated from Fresno State College, but by 2018 over a thousand received degrees at Chicano Commencement at CSUF.
This is Arte Américas’ first foray into historical representation, still utilizing the creativity of its artistic community to tell the story. The project began with an initial seed grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and then matched with a grant from the California Council for the Humanities. A team gathered from scholars, college interns and volunteers took on the project throughout 2018 with the indispensable aid from librarians and museum curators from Madera, Fresno and Tulare counties. California State University, Fresno, and the State Center Community College District came on board with sponsorships and student assistance. Additional organizations, businesses and individuals also are contributing to the realization of the project. The exhibit represents an initial phase of a larger collection documenting the community’s history, the culmination of the collective work to date.
Admission is free with the support of our sponsors, though donations are welcome to support programming related to the exhibit. Fee-supported guided tours are available. In addition to regular hours, Arte Américas will be presenting weekly Sunday programs of discussions and films beginning March 24 and continuing throughout the run of the exhibit. You can check our "Events" page for more details and RSVP on facebook.