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The quiet air of the Jo Long Theatre quickly filled with Latinas, Latinos, Gente de San Antonio in anticipation of the Azul Barrientos concert at the Jo Long Theatre. The event was sponsored by The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. From clean quiet air to chatter and zeal, the Jo Long Theatre was met at the brim in occupancy. The “Buena Gente” of the Esperanza Center, the
Photo Courtesy of Gateway Photography: the crowd gathers in anticipation in the main lobby of the Jo Long Theatre at the Carver Center
patrons of the concert and the theatre staff awaited patiently as final touches on the concert floor were put on and the mics were put up.
Azul Barrientos, an artist originally from Mexico City, is the artist in residence at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. The sounds of the generation’s before her’s past is what resonated in that theatre on September 16, 2018, and now, a month later, I am able to share in the experience that was the Azul concert.
En Preparación
The concert hall was dark when I entered. There seemed to be a sense of accomplishment in the eyes of the staff that was walking around getting finishing touches taken care of but don’t take my words lightly, there was a
Photo Courtesy of Jo Long Theatre
great sense of urgency. Spotlights flooded the great red curtain that covered the stage and smoke from the background protruded from under the curtain. I wondered where Azul was when the music would start but the preparations were still underway and the crowd was enjoying their time in the lobby/gallery
Concierto En Vivo
The lights came up a bit and the dim was brought back up to help patrons to their seats. There had to have been well over 200 guests present but it was a bit hard to eyeball.
Xochipilli Ballet Folklorico
This would have been my first time hearing Azul sing. Honestly, I had only heard of Azul a few days before because of the Facebook post that was listed online but I was excited to see a local artist. The show began with the folklorico group from Austin, Texas. The group was dressed in traditional
Photo Courtesy of Gateway Photography: Xochipilli Ballet Folklorico
folklorico dresses that originated in several parts of Mexico including Oaxaca and Guanajuato as well as from the major city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco. The group danced some traditional songs and settings, many of which were done barefoot. Imagine the sound of soft puddles of water being struck by the passing wheel of a vendor in the street of a small pueblo. The whooshing sounds of their feet hitting the stage set a mood for the concert to come. Tradiciónes y la cultura (tradition and culture) were clearly now in the air. It was beautiful. It was historical. It was something I had never heard before.
As the group left the stage I was a bit more enticed by the show. My family and those who know me are aware of my love for the culture that is sustained in mariachi music, Folklorico, flamenco, and other Mexican cultural arts and this feeling of awe left me speechless.
“…this feeling of awe left me speechless.”
I took some shots of the group leaving and happened to grab some of them in the lobby as well to share later while I imagined how the show would continue to captivate.
Acción
The red cloth began to move from center to the respective sides. It was interesting to think about. For years this red curtain has presented so many cultural, local, and political minds that it was somewhat the curtain that paved the way for a new beginning. Azul stood there, in a white dress with red
Photo Courtesy of Gateway Photography: Photo of Azul singing in concert at the Jo Long Theatre
accented roses. This particular dress was a ball gown and flowed as if it fit on her the way Cinderella’s glass slipper slipped right on her. Azul began singing and the overzealous crowd quickly found themselves quieter than calm before the storm.
The strum of her guitar to the tunes of the folk Mexican music beat the heart of every patron.
“…y de ilusiones, y te ofrezcan un sol, y un cielo entero…”
I just remember the lyrics of one of my personal favorites, Un Mundo Raro, by Jose Alfredo Jimenez as she played the beloved song. I continued to shoot. Shot after shot reminded me of the early moments of my childhood when my grandma would show me the words of the Spanish language as well as the songs that I was hearing at this concert.
Transfiguración
Azul continued her concert and my grandma and I enjoyed every song that was performed with heart and soul. I left that day with a reminder that the reason I continue to study in this field of history is that of the nostalgia that it brings me. To remember what was once a faint memory as a recent ripple in the pond that is my life is important. I guess you could say it adds the reference to my story. The culture of these events has changed history worldwide. Locally, artistas like Las Tesoros de San Antonio has changed the landscape for music in San Antonio and they all started here in San Antonio. Azul lives a legacy. Azul Barrientos shares the generational love that was passed down to her in music by her family and those who study history like
Photo Courtesy of Gateway Photography: Azul Barrientos thanks the crowd as the concert comes to an end.
myself are, in many cases, passing down a deep concern for the past and a meaning for the future. Importance floods our work and will continue to do so here.
The music and culture have transfigured San Antonio and will continue to do so. Each major quadrant of our city has a club or dance venue of some sort. If not one, then many of them. These clubs and venues have changed over the years as well just based on the population around them but what hasn’t changed is the beauty that the culture brings and the history that the culture continues to carry along with it. This concert was just one reminder of where the culture and history of our people meet and mend the surrounding community.
Last week I had the opportunity to once again visit the Rinconcito de Esperanza to support the MujerArtes Women’s Clay Cooperative. To celebrate their one year anniversary in the the new earth block studio, the Esperanza Center hosted a celebration and week-long art sale.
Various art pieces for sale at the MujerArtes Casita
The mujeres who make up this cooperative use clay as a medium to illustrate historical snapshots of their lives. Each piece is intricately crafted, reflecting the artists’ cultural identity within her work. Since 1995, this program has welcomed a very diverse group of women to produce their art. These women commit to a certain number of studio hours per week, where they create artwork to sell to the community through various outreach programs. Although you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at the artwork, most of these women are art novices, learning their craft alongside one another with the aid of an instructor and studio coordinator. Together, these women form a community, empowering each other through their shared passion of arte y cultura.
Calavera crafted from clay
My fiancé and I scanned the rows of clay artwork, searching for our perfect match. I like to collect tiles so I selected a Selena tile for myself and picked out an ornamental la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Virgin Mary, for my grandma. My grandma was a migrant worker, as was my grandfather and their seven children. They traveled throughout the year, staying where the work was. I love to hear her stories about the past. My life is so vastly different from that of my grandma but through her stories about her life as a young girl, a mother, a migrant worker, and everything in between, I feel deeply connected to her. I went to visit my grandma later that day to give her la Virgen de Guadalupe I purchased for her at the art sale. She absolutely loved the gift and told me about the significance of the flowers that adorned the feet of la Virgen, the patron saint of Mexico.
Various la Virgen de Guadalupe artistic renderings at MujerArtes Casita
As an aspiring Public Historian, I am inspired by the MujerArtes. It is wonderful to see their culture embraced and celebrated through transformative works of art. By creating a tangible piece of their past, they are helping to preserve it and spurring a continual conversation. By gifting the Virgin Mary shrine to my grandma, I was able to hear a story from her and learn something new. I am thankful to the Women’s Clay Cooperative for giving me a gift that opened up this conversation. I hope to capture the spirit of the MujerArtes in my professional career.
To learn more about these amazing and talented artists, take a look at their profiles here: MujerArtes Artists
Please click here to learn more about Norbert “Geremy” Landin
This evening the students from the St. Mary’s University were welcomed to one of the sites of the Esperanza Center in San Antonio Texas. The Director, Ms. Graciela Sanchez, quickly grasped the attention of all 10 students present.
“The people of Esperanza dream of a world where everyone has civil rights and economic justice, where the environment is cared for, where cultures are honored and communities are safe.”
-Graciela Sanchez; Director of Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
This part of their mission and vision is truly shown in the work that is done in and around the Rinconcito Center. In the past, I know that several of the students in this program (including myself) have been to museums and art exhibits. During a recent museum course there was talk about the different places that have been visited but I don’t quite think that this experience matches any of the ones that were mentioned in the past.
When entering the Rinconcito Center there is a drastic difference in what we are used to seeing in homes and apartments and visitors can quickly delve into the history from the time of the “Casa De Cuentos and Casita.” The center has owned the building and property at 816 Colorado St. since 2001 and since then, great work in preserving the housing and developments that surround the area has been done in hopes of saving that history that as Sanchez said, “is gone once they’re gone.”
As the students travel through the areas at the center, different pieces catch the eyes of future public historians and Director of Public History at St. Mary’s (Dr. Lindsey Wieck)
The students continued their walk down the street with a main focus on the structures and projects following the path towards The Guadalupe Center for cultural arts. “Fotohistorias del Westside” mark the path along the South side of the street lining the fence of J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School (a school named after Confederate veteran and bank president, JT Brackenridge, who was born in Warwick County, Indiana and passed in 1906). This school is one of San Antonio ISD’s 90 campuses.
Virgen de Guadalupe vela located next to the Guadalupe Center for Cultural Arts
The tour ended at the Plaza Guadalupe over at 1327 Guadalupe St. but the conversation did not. Conversations on the way back to the starting point of the tour led to ideas of projects with different shops, councilmen, and locals about oral history and community activism.
Sanchez is passionate about the work that she does and was excited to show us the public history aspects involved in her work. Having visited places on the westside and knowing the stigmas and negative energy that is posed towards the people and areas surrounding made it easier to want to learn and absorb as much information as possible. The connection that we have made as a course and cohort is tremendous and will continue to be a great source of energy and program development for public history at St. Mary’s and in San Antonio in general.
Graciela Sanchez, Director of the Esperanza Center introduces the student from St. Mary’s University’s Master in Public History Program to the back part of the Esperanza Center
As the students travel through the areas at the center, different pieces catch the eyes of future public historians
Graciela (Director) introduces the students to the many art works that are created by those that cooperate in the program from around the neighborhood
Pieces that line the walls of the MujerArtes studio in the rear of the center
Graciela (left) explains the use of the space as well as the use of the money that the individuals that create these pieces make.
This piece was found drying on a table outside of the MujerArtes Center behind the Riconcito de Esperanza Center. The detail is so precise.
Director Sanchez begins the walking tour off the site of the Riconcito Center. The walk lasts about 1 hr with questions and covers homes around the neighborhood and the area included in the center.
Graciela explains the need for the art and various activities that are done in this neighborhood. The murals across the street depict graduates and positive things that the Westside has contributed and will continue to show in the work that is being done
As the tour comes to an end, Graciela explains the importance of the council meetings and the access that is provided for these meetings. Much of the information that is provided to the individuals in this neighborhood could be seen as bias and has much to be worked on. This is when students start to think up ideas to work with different orgs. or parts of the Esperanza Center to bring Public History to the Westside.
