5th Annual Día De La Mujer Exhibition

On March 8, 2012, the Casa Familiar opened its doors to the 5th Annual Dia De La Mujer Exhibition. Inside, 25 artists displayed their work to a panel of jurors and visitors. Each artist had a story to tell, a common theme, which was to convey the experience of being a woman using various artistic mediums.

The jurors, Gwen Gomez, of the San Diego Museum of Art, Larry Baza and Ava Ordorica awarded Bhavna Mehta 1st place for her incredible black and white paper cut out. Mehta, originally from India, created an intricate scene, depicting a four armed woman holding different aspects of her life. The black paper was delicately and intricately cut, and placed on top of a plain piece of heavy white paper. Bhavna explained the piece was a story of a modern day woman’s life.

Michelle D. Ferrera, who recently moved from New Jersey to San Diego, exhibited two very striking pencil on wood carvings. Michele explained that the pieces were created during what was a very emotional time for her.

Emily Hicks, teacher of Chicano Studies at San Diego State, created two very unusual, almost cartoonish drawings, one of which depicted negative entities in the background, and a strong woman presence in the foreground. These, Emily explained, were inspired by dealing with personal life struggles.

Bonnie Crokett, presented a water color titled “Madonna on the Dock” this painting showed a woman sitting one dock with a small child at her side. The woman’s face was covered by the brim of a hat. Bonnie explained that she photographed her subjects while touring Chesapeake Bay in the summer with her husband on their boat. In the winter, they returned to her home in Chula Vista, where she made a painting of her photographs. Bonnie is a member of the South Bay-Front Artist Co-Op, where, she explained, many artists are also boaters.

Belinda Rojo of San Diego, is a new artist, and this was her first exhibit. She specialized in abstract and surreal images, showing the inner strength of women.

Gwen Gomez, from the San Diego Museum of Art, described the exhibition as “all about women artists and their own vision.”

Visitors, artists, curators and jurors enjoyed an arts reception with drinks, food and a live band, the Roots Factories’ DJ Ana Brown. On the back patio, the Mujeres Crafts Market Place featured an array of exquisite had made items crafted by local ladies.

The event was a success and brought a sense that San Ysidro can indeed be a place known for its fine art.

This month long celebration is taking place at Casa Fa-miliar’s THE FRONT: A Collaborative of Art, Culture, Design & Urbanism- located at 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd, San Ysidro.

Our Mes de la Mujer (Womens Month) programming at The Front also includes a lecture on Women and Photography given by Cara Goger (MOPA) on thurs March 22nd at 2-3pm and a special reading of Lunar Braceros by authors Rosaura Sanchez and Beatrice Pita presented by Caliposas Press on thurs March 22nd 6:30pm.