Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
'Art is a way of living & surviving'
Papillion grad embraces her heritage through creativity
By Melissa Anderson
Times Staff Writer
 |
| Artist Linda Garcia made a papel picado (Mexican paper cutting) of Frida Kahlo. |
|
|
She watched her mother create “something out of nothing” as she tore down walls, decorated rooms, sewed a variety of creations, and planted gardens, which Garcia said is part of her inheritance.
“Thus, I live, breath, touch, study, make and look at art,” she said. “I feel blessed having the ability to explore creativity.”
Now Garcia has been creating and collecting folk art that documents the history of Latinos in Omaha for more than three decades. Garcia and her husband, Jose, have a plethora of books pertaining to Mexican history, culture, folk art, and art, along with a collection of Mexican folk art and photographs.
She and Jose, a photographer, opened Las Artes Galeria in south Omaha to house some of their collection of photos, documents and folk art. They have involved other community artists in displays at Las Artes Galeria in the Frida Kahlo Birthday Celebration, and other Latino holidays such as Dia de Los Muertos. They have also done some history installations such as the local Latino Sports.
About a year ago, Garcia’s alma mater, the College of Saint Mary, asked her to do an art show, featuring her various forms of artwork. This month Garcia displayed her work in the college’s Hillmer Gallery, 1901 S. 72nd St. The show runs through Monday, April 26.
Garcia works with various forms of art and said paper will always be part of her main focus in her work, such as papier-mâché, papel picado (Mexican paper cutting), Mexican paper flowers, or in her mixed media pieces, collages and assemblages. Some of Garcia’s papel picado paper cuttings are of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
She also created a 58-inch papier-mâché statue as a tribute to St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Garcia’s exhibit features portraits of prominent women, such as Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa and Pastora Maria Pavon Cruz.
Garcia, 64, was born in Omaha and her family lived on the outskirts of Papillion on a farm. Her parents are Mary and Crispin Perez. She is the second oldest of five sisters and four brothers, the majority of whom live in Papillion.
She and her brother, Tony, attended a one-room schoolhouse, Ireland School, in Sarpy County from kindergarten through the fifth-grade. The school was located on the west side of 60th Street, just north of Highway 370, according to the Web site Nebraska Memories. After the school closed, they were bused to Papillion.
The Perez family was the first Mexican family to attend Papillion High School (now Papillion-La Vista High School), Garcia said. By the time the rest of the Perez children came into the school system, Papillion had grown and more multicultural families were moving in with their children attending the schools.
She graduated in 1964 from PHS, received a medical secretary degree from C.E. School of Commerce and earned a bachelor of arts from the College of Saint Mary in 1971.
Her interest in art started with her mother but, she said, various factors contributed to her interest growing and continually influences who she is — her college days, going through the Chicano Movement in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, her first visit to Mexico, exploring and listening to international music genres, and the relationships with her family and friends.
“My art is a Chicana’s perspective of identity through words and images,” she said.
Garcia decided to focus her artistic talents toward her Mexican heritage during a life-changing solo trip during her senior year at CSM. As an art major, Garcia and her fellow students were required to do a senior show.
“Through art history classes we read of artists traveling and studying in other countries and thus changing their approach of their art,” she said. “I wanted to see what affect it would have on my art if I traveled to a totally new environment.”
Garcia chose Mexico City, Mexico.
“I was struck by the presence of art everywhere and wondered why no one told me about this, my heritage or had read in books,” she said. “I decided that I did not want other children of Latino heritage to not know their rich culture and heritage. I became involved in the Chicano Movement of self-determination during the same time. So it has become my passion to teach and share what I know about Latino art.”
Garcia said she cannot answer which form of art is her favorite to create because she loves doing it all. Currently, she said she is focusing on textiles.
“Each art material and form expands your creativity,” she said. “Some forms are seasonal. I do papier-mâché usually in the summer so that the pieces dry properly and painting in the cooler seasons. I love telling stories and is reflected in my art pieces.”
Garcia has also participated in a couple of group shows in Chicago and events during Hispanic Heritage Week. She and Jose also curated Arte Popular: Mexican Folk Art from the Collection of Pat and Judd Wagner at the Joslyn Art Museum, which ran from July to the end of November last year. She is also planning a future Web site of her work.
Garcia retired after 27 years as a children’s librarian from the Omaha Public Library system. She also teaches art as an artist-in-residence through the Nebraska Arts Council and on the Speakers Bureau of the Nebraska Humanities Council.
Art is something Garcia’s family is involved in as well.
Garcia and Jose have two sons and a 5-month-old granddaughter. Garcia also has numerous nieces and nephews who have or are attending schools in Papillion.
“My husband Jose is involved in photography and both my sons are very talented,” she said. “Most of my sisters and brothers are also talented and very creative people.”
During the summer months she said she will hold some art classes for her nieces and nephews, of whom many of the older ones are involved in art and photography.
Currently, Las Artes Galeria is open only by appointment because Garcia and her husband are involved in major beginnings of inventory, photographing and archiving, she said. Jose has also started a non-profit organization, The Mexican American Historical Society of the Midlands, of which Garcia will be also involved.
New artwork by Linda Garcia will be displayed in the Hillmer Gallery at College of Saint Mary, 1901 S. 72nd St., through April 26. Admission is free. For more information, call 399-2621.
“Art is a way of living and surviving: looking, questioning, researching, decision making, and sharing the knowledge and joy ... just as you do in life,” Garcia said. “And so you change. And the world changes.”
– The Omaha World-Herald contributed to this story
 |
 |
|
| Stage is set | The Times earns NPA awards |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of omahanewsstand.com.
