From October 19th to November 30th, we showcased our final Artist in Residency Program for the Serie Project, titled Serie XX. The exhibit was co-curated by our own Kelly Grajeda and Paloma Mayorga to occupy a new unconventional gallery space within Medical Arts Square near the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. Also on display was a selection of works by Sam Z. Coronado, artist and founder of the Serie Project. The exhibit featured a compilation of his works focused on a particular theme, titled “Mujeres”.
The space held an intimacy that only an unfinished office could provide. Beams of wood stood as dividers where a maze of walls would normally be. This skeleton setup allowed for the small space to breathe and the viewer to see through each room and into the next. Small panels, painted in a dark gray and nailed to the beams, served as walls to hold the prints of our final Serie resident artists, along with the work of Sam Coronado. Marigolds lined the perimeter of the halls to serve as homage to the day of the dead, and a space was reserved for the serigraphs of the participants in Coronado Studio’s Día de los Muertos Screen Printing Workshop.
Following the private viewing at 5pm, the crowd really began to pour in. By 7:30 pm, the house was packed. DJ Chorizofunk provided colorful and upbeat tunes to complement the variety of works inside. All night the house was filled with people admiring the new works and reminiscing on past prints and events that they have been involved with, and all who attended the show felt at home and with family. Over the years, our project has involved a web of dozens of people in a variety of ways, all from different backgrounds. Whether they were the artists themselves, longtime supporters, or family and friends, we were very excited to see so many familiar and new faces at the opening.
This event served as the perfect close to our long residency venture. Our mission at Serie Project is to bring diversity to the fine art of serigraphy by promoting and exhibiting prints created by established and emerging artists. Our master printers have trained and worked with over 250 artists over the years, and the Serie XX exhibit served as a good example of the diversity that exists within the art world today.
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In addition to the Serie XX exhibit, an assortment of works by Serie Project’s founder, Sam Coronado, titled “Mujeres,” were on display in their own space. The small exhibit showcased a singular approach to the collection of his works, and featured the Mujeres of his prints and paintings. After working with Coronado and his prints, co-curator Mayorga remarked on an interesting power that women hold across his work, and worked to bring this power into a more refined light.
The following are a few words from Sam Z. Coronado on his exhibit, “Mujeres”.
Women have always been an important influence in my life. These women have shown strength courage and compassion. These are also traits that a mother must posses in order to nurture children.
The women in this exhibit pose these traits and more. They represent love and altruism. They are women that I have known, read about or have met. Some are images that become part of my past and present and are aligned with what I feel demonstrate those special traits.
The guerrillera and the housewife that exist simultaneously in a world that knows little distinction of their role from one day to the next. The activist that wears urban camouflage and carries a picket sign marching for justice and equality in a society where greed is a powerful foe with no remorse. The young soldier whose purpose is to serve and protect others in combat. Unsung and persistent, they are our past and our future
– Sam Z. Coronado
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We want to thank everyone who worked together to make this event possible. Namely our sponsors, Dr. Robert E. Cantu and the Center for Mexican American Studies; the master printers at Coronado Studio, Jonathan Rebolloso and Logan Hill, who worked with the Serie XX residents to create high quality prints; as well as all those who have supported the Serie Project over the years to make it into the success it is today.
Written by: Natalie Villarreal December 10th, 2013The Serie Project, Inc is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.
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