Chicano y que? A look at El Movimiento through photographs.

Chicano y qué?
Exhibition at the San Bernardino Museum of Art

Photography by Jesús Manuel Mena Garza

From March 26, 2011 – November 6, 2011

“Chicano y que?” is not exactly what I asked myself as I wondered through Manuel Mena Garza’s exhibit at the San Bernardino County Museum. His exhibit, “Chicano y que?” will be up for the next couple of moths. The exhibit documents crucial Chicano history in a series of photograph taken by the photographer during the 1970s. While I found myself extremely pleased with the exhibit overall, I would have probably went with “Chicano pero porque?” I say this simply for one reason: the exhibit provided me with plenty of examples of what makes a Chicano a Chicano. Thus, I feel “Chicano pero porque?” would have perhaps been more fitting. Regardless, I’m not here to criticize the exhibit in some sort of analytical way but instead tell you about the impact it had on me.

As I walked into the exhibit, the first thing that struck me was the arrangement of the photographs. The circular room provided enough space for each photograph to be individually appreciated as one walked around the room, or better said took a walk through a timeline depicting Chicano life in the 70s. Quite appropriately the first image was a portrait of the man himself, Cesar Chavez. I found it quite exciting to such a life-like, real, tangible image of him during El Movimiento. The portrait captures a confident rather serene Cesar Chavez. Unlike many of the other pictures of him, this one truly captures Cesar as exactly what he was, a regular man. A man with a cause, that is.  As I continued my stroll through the Chicano experience in the 70s, I was overwhelmed by how much I related to the images. At that time, I was approximately 20 years from even being born! I guess a lot of what make a Chicano a Chicano are his roots, and that is exactly what I found in the photographs. The familiar images ranging from La Virgen de Guadalupe, to men working on the field bring not necessarily images but memories or stories once told to my by my grandfather back (Pancho Villa and the revolutionaries made up a big portion of these stories). Again, I think “Chicano pero porque?” may have been a bit more fitting.

The exhibit contained plenty of images depicting the Chicano Education Pilgrimage, El Teatro Campesino, the United Farm Workers, and of course Cesar Chavez’s march. The thing that makes a picture a photograph, to me anyways is the fact that it captures a moment. In this picture we see two actors performing “La Carpa de los Rasquachis”.  This image to many means much more than the play. It brings them back to a time when Chicanos came together for a greater cause. I was very impressed with how Manuel Garza was able to catch so many historical seconds in each of the photographs.

In conclusion, I believe that walking through the exhibit was more like jumping in a time machine that allowed experience El Movimiento “first hand”. While I understand that these pictures captured history, I strongly believe that the cause is not over. I believe that there are still plenty of issues that we must strive fix, and I believe this fact truly allowed me to appreciate El Movimiento for the grand number of those involved and the change it brought.

Truly a must see for anyone in the area, plus the San Bernardino Museum is itself really interesting.

-EEG