UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press Announces Online Oral Histories Series

By Rebecca Epstein, Ph.D., Communications and Academic Programs, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center 

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press has launched its Oral Histories Series, available free of charge in PDF format on the CSRC web site. This ongoing series features the life narratives of prominent Chicano and Latino figures in the United States; the first set focuses on Los Angeles-based Chicano and Latino artists and art organizations. The oral histories are often undertaken as part of a scholar’s larger research project and in tandem with CSRC archival collections and library holdings. All transcripts are reviewed and corrected by the interviewer and interviewee review prior to publication. 

Projects Represented in the Oral Histories Series

L.A. Xicano documents the history of Chicana/o art in Los Angeles with a focus on artists, collectives, and art organizations. Part of the Getty Foundation initiative Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945-1980, the project resulted in museum and library exhibitions, public programs, archival collections, and scholarly publications in 2010-11. L.A. Xicano received support from the Getty Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and California Community Foundation. Related support includes funding from Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Entravision Communications Corporation, Walt Disney Company, and individual donors. 

L.A. Xicano oral histories were conducted by Karen Mary Davalos, chair and professor of Chicana/o studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In these interviews, artists talk about childhood, education, career, and inspirations for their art. Their recollections offer insight into not only the work of the individual artists but also how these artists were interconnected and were affected by cultural and political developments, particularly the Chicano Movement. Interviews of Judy Baca, Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez, David Botello, Barbara Carrasco, Roberto “Tito” Delgado, Richard Duardo, Margaret Garcia, Johnny Gonzalez, Judithe Hernández, Leo Limón, Gilbert “Magu” Luján, Monica Palacios, John Valadez, and Linda Vallejo are now available as PDFs here. Additional interviews are forthcoming.

A Ver: Revisioning Art History stems from the conviction that individual artists and their coherent bodies of work are the foundation for a meaningful and diverse art history. The project has produced an award-winning book series by the CSRC Press that explores the cultural, aesthetic, and historical contributions of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and other U.S. Latino artists. Artists profiled to date are Luis Cruz Azaceta, María Brito, Rafael Ferrer, Carmen Lomas Garza, Gronk, Yolanda M. López, Pepón Osorio, Malaquias Montoya, Celia Alvarez Muñoz, and Ricardo Valverde, with more forthcoming. The interviews undertaken as primary research for these books will be published as part of the CSRC Oral Histories Series. The A Ver project is made possible through the generous support of Getty Foundation, Ford Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Joan Mitchell Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation.

The LGBT and Mujeres Initiative seeks to increase archival and oral history holdings that document the Chicano/Latino presence in LGBT and women’s histories, the role of women and LGBT people in Chicano/Latino histories, and the importance of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in “mainstream” scholarly research and archival institutions. The project receives generous support from the Ford Foundation and individual donors. Available oral histories based on these holdings are those of Dan Guerrero and Monica Palacios (click here). Additional interviews are currently being conducted for future publication in the CSRC Oral Histories Series. 

In 2012, the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center was the recipient of the first SAA Diversity Award.