Latin American Art Goes Global With These Expansive Exhibitions

The country’s largest Latin American arts exhibition is coming to a city near you.

By

Liz Ohanesian

Jan 27, 2018

By Liz Ohanesian

January 27, 2018

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For years, art institutions have been criticized for only populating their galleries with artists who were anything but diverse.

Recently, however, a widespread arts initiative has aimed to change that perception by presenting the works of Latino artists across dozens of institutions in Southern California.

The exhibition is called “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.” It was launched in September 2017 with the help of $16.3 million in grants from the Getty Foundation. And soon, this initiative will bring some of these shows to museums and galleries across the country.

Their goal: rewrite art history.

It sounds ambitious, but it was a necessary move.

In a time where immigration has become a crucial issue dominating our political discourse, “PST: LA/LA” helped Southern California institutions reflect the true cultural makeup of the region. In Los Angeles County, Census data shows that 47.7% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latin American, but the regional art world didn’t quite reflect the population. “PST: LA/LA” is an attempt to rectify that disparity with exhibitions showcasing the diversity of both art in Latin America and the work of Latin American artists in the United States.

It took five years of preparation, but the initiative was a rousing success. From museums to universities to art galleries, more than 140 venues participated in showcasing the work of more than 1,100 artists. While some of “PST: LA/LA” exhibitions are officially coming to an end in Southern California on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, some of the shows are hitting the road, bound for destinations across the U.S. and abroad.

From displays of beautiful pre-Hispanic artifacts to groundbreaking performance art by cutting-edge contemporary artists, “PST: LA/LA” is significant not just for its focus on Latin American artists, but for the breadth and scope of the exhibitions included in the initiative. But, it wasn’t just centuries that “PST: LA/LA” spanned — these exhibits crossed borders too. Shows also explored the ethnic diversity in Latin America, from Afro-Brazilian to Chinese-Caribbean. It delved into artistic practices by marginalized or overlooked communities like the pioneering feminist artists featured in the show “Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985” — which will tour Brooklyn and São Paulo this year — and the work of queer artists in “Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A.”

[new_image position=”standard large” id=”null”]Photo by Roberto and Fernando Luna, used with permission.[/new_image]

“PST: LA/LA” also highlighted Latin American artists with landmark retrospectives. Body positive photographer Laura Aguilar has a career that goes back to the 1980s, but her exhibition “Show and Tell” — which is set to head to the Frost Art Museum in Miami in March 2018 — is the first expansive survey of her work. “Aztlán to Magulandia: The Journey of Chicano Artist Gilbert ‘Magu’ Luján” is the first survey of the late artist Gilbert “Magu” Lujá, who, as part of the collective Los Four, helped kickstart the Chicano Arts movement in 1970s Los Angeles.

For “PST: LA/LA,” showcasing Latin American artists throughout Southern California was only beginning. Now, they’re bringing them to the world.

Below are forthcoming dates for “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” exhibits around the world:

Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell
Originally presented at the Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles

On tour:
The Frost Art Museum, Miami, Florida
March 3 to May 27, 2018

The Schoolhouse and the Bus” (formerly known as “Suzanne Lacy & Pablo Helguera”
Originally presented at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara

On tour:
The 8th Floor, New York City, New York
Feb. 9 to May 12, 2018

The U.S.-Mexico Border: Place, Imagination, and Possibility
Originally presented at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles

On tour:
561 Arts, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan. 27 to April 14, 2018

Mono-Made: New Expressions in Craft by Latino Artists
Originally presented at Craft in America, Los Angeles

On tour:
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts
Dec.15, 2018, to Sept. 8, 2019

David Lamelas: A Life of Their Own
Originally presented at the California State University, Long Beach/University Art Museum

On tour:
Fundación Costantini, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 23 to June 11, 2018

The Metropolis in Latin America (1830-1930)
Originally presented at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

On tour:
Americas Society, New York City, New York
March 22 to June 30, 2018

Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas
Originally presented at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

On tour:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Feb. 27 to May 28, 2018

Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985
Originally presented at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

On tour:
Brooklyn Museum, New York City, New York
April 13 to July 22, 2018

Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Brazil
Aug. 18 to Nov. 19, 2018

Painted in Mexico, 1700-1790: Pinxit Mexici
Originally presented at Los Angeles County Museum of Art

On tour:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York
April 24 to July 22, 2018

Murales Rebeldes! L.A. Chicana/o Murals Under Siege
Originally presented at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles

On tour:
California Historical Society, San Francisco, California
April 7 to Sept. 2, 2018

Memories of Underdevelopment
Originally presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

On tour:
Museo Júmex, Mexico City, Mexico
March 21 to Sept. 9, 2018

Museo Arte de Lima, Lima, Peru
Nov. 20, 2018, to Feb. 23, 2019

Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago
Originally presented at the Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles

On tour:
Wallach Gallery of Columbia University, New York City, New York
May 2018 to September 2018

The Frost Art Museum, Miami, Florida
October 2018 to December 2018

Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
January 2018 to May 2019

Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware
June 2018 to September 2019

The Words of Others: León Ferrari and Rhetoric in Times of War
Originally presented at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, Los Angeles

On tour:
Pérez Art Museum, Miami, Florida
Feb. 15 to Aug. 12, 2018

Valeska Soares: Any Moment Now
Originally presented at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

On tour:
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
March 24 to July 15, 2018

Aztlan to Magulandia: The Journey of Chicano Artist Gilbert ‘Magu’ Luján
Originally presented at the University Art Galleries, University of California, Irvine

On tour:
Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, California
June 2 to Sept. 29, 2018

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Australia produces so much solar power that they’re giving three hours of it away each day for free

Three hours of free power.

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In a time when energy costs are rising, Australia is taking a different approach. The country has acquired so much solar power that they’re giving it away. In fact, those who sign up for the program will get three free hours of energy each day.

This comes from a government-run offer dubbed Solar Sharer. It offers a free three-hour period for those who sign up. This period runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. The period runs from noon to 3:00 p.m. in South Australia.

Free, but not unlimited, power

While the power is free for those who are eligible and have a smart meter, there is a daily cap of 24 kilowatt-hours (kWh). Any amount above that will be charged. However, the energy cap is based on the Australian Energy Regulator’s assessment of what a five-person household uses each day.

While that free period each day provides a great window to use major appliances or charge electric cars, there are some catches. Solar Sharer isn’t yet available to residents outside those areas, but energy brokers are making similar offers. There is also no guarantee that electricity rates won’t get higher outside of those free periods either.

Who benefits?

The program is designed for those who are a part of a solar power grid. It also benefits people who work from home the most. If the people in the household are at their job or the office, they likely won’t be able to take advantage of the deal.

While Energy Consumers Australia supports this offer, they are concerned about how governments and retailers relay the information to customers. In short, they don’t want people to be surprised if their electricity rates are charged higher during the non-free periods. They’re also concerned that, by their measure, only three in 10 eligible people were aware of this offer.

“We don’t want to have people signing up to these plans assuming it will decrease their bills, when in fact it could do the opposite,” the consumer advocacy group said to The Guardian.

There is a chance that rates won’t get higher if more people are able to take advantage of Solar Sharer. Since most electricity use is during the evening when more people are home from work, changing up the usage towards daytime hours can benefit everyone. It would still be an uphill battle as electric light is mostly used in the evening and nighttime when it’s dark.

Similar programs elsewhere

While there are catches, this isn’t the first program of its type. There are similar successful free energy programs in other nations. Areas such as Germany and the Nordic countries create so much green energy through wind farms that they make similar free power offers. California has also offered government programs for low-income households and farmworkers housing cheap-to-free solar energy.

While kinks definitely need to be sorted out, creating so much generated energy to the point that it can be given freely is a good problem to have.

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Motorcyclist trapped under a 3,300 pound car saved by Australian car salesmen

“Man, I’m dying. This is it.”

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Tyler Wiebe was on his way to work on his motorcycle in Brisbane, Australia. Then a car approached in the wrong way in traffic, colliding with another car that then hit Wiebe. The accident threw Wiebe off his bike and under a car. He was trapped under the 3,300-lb. vehicle, doomed until a group of salesmen and onlookers came to his rescue.

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Hope comes in the form of a car salesman

After being stuck for two minutes under the car, help arrived from the nearby Auto Request Kedron, a used car dealership.

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“I realized there was someone trapped under the car,” fellow employee Rob added.

They rushed into action, recruiting other coworkers to help.

“[I] saw Rob running and he was just whistling out saying, ‘Hey, boys, hurry up,’ ” Corbin recalled. “I remember seeing him, just like two legs. They weren’t moving at that time.”

The salesmen tried to lift the vehicle up to get Wiebe to safety, but the car wouldn’t budge.

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Reportedly 15 people were finally able to lift the car and free Wiebe underneath. He was rushed to the hospital where he went under emergency operations. Under hospital care, Wiebe’s condition stabilized and he survived. Had he been under that car any longer, the worst would have happened.

Wiebe was humbled and grateful to the salesmen and others who stepped up to save him.

“I get more time with my daughters, I get more time with my family and a second lease on life, so just thank you, thank you,” Wiebe said in his hospital bed.

Certified legends

When he was discharged from the hospital, Wiebe set up a reunion with the employees of the used car dealership. He was able to introduce his family to his rescuers and thank them face-to-face. Wiebe presented them with matching t-shirts, each one with a logo reading “Certified Legend” on the front and an illustration of a person lifting a car over their head on the back.

“You guys are legends, but now you’re certified legends,” Wiebe said to his heroes.

A father and husband was saved thanks to the alertness and quick action of the nearby community.

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Texas engineers develop a jacket that pulls fresh drinking water out of thin air

Put it on, collect water, drink it up.

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For too many, access to clean drinking water is incredibly difficult. According to the World Health Organization, over two billion people live in water-stressed areas due to pollution, climate change, or population growth. However, engineering experts in Texas have developed a possible solution: just put on a jacket.

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The technology behind the jacket is similar to the materials used in netting for water harvesting of air and fog. This time, however, the idea is to collect water while also being mobile.

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How does this jacket collect water?

The textile used to create the jacket was derived from a device the same team created. That device was a specially engineered hydrogel fabric made from biomass-derived materials. This hydrogel fabric takes moisture from the air and then releases it as water via condensation when it’s heated by sunlight. The water can easily be collected.

The jacket’s textile collects moisture from the air and funnels it into detachable harvesting units. The units can be placed into a foldable collector piece where they are heated to produce water. The material and system doesn’t just absorb water like other materials. Instead, it actively converts vapor into water while functioning as a piece of protective clothing.

The jacket is able to produce between 400 to 900 milliliters of drinkable water daily. This is a vast improvement upon other similar inventions that yielded less water and were significantly bulkier to wear. The jacket’s material could collect and produce more water over time and testing, depending on the humidity of the terrain.

Aside from creating clothing out of the material, the researchers hope to make backpacks, tents, emergency shelters, and other outdoor gear from it. The hope is that this could create more clean water access for disaster response units and everyday people living in water-stressed areas alike.

How much hydration do you need in the heat?

Until water-collecting jackets are commercially available, it’s important to have drinkable water nearby at all times, especially during the summer. When out in the heat, the Center for Disease Control recommends having a drink of water before working outdoors. Then drink a cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes. This can help keep your body cool and hydrated to prevent heat stroke. That said, stay alert and stay indoors if there is a heat warning in your area.

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