An Art Exhibit for All

The Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) is showcasing a series of exhibits, including Mixed Up – Connected, which features black-and-white photographs of photographer Joe Ramos, who was raised in the Harden Labor Camp. Ramos’ collection includes portraits of his family, including his Filipino father and Mexican mother, his son and Black wife, and their children. The exhibit is part of a series of exhibits that take place until April 21, showcasing farmworker life and Latino culture and heritage.

The Durón Family Collection, on display until April 21, is the first-ever museum collection to display a significant portion of the family art collection of Armando and Mary Salinas Durón of Montebello in Southern California. The Duróns, not artists but court commissioners, began acquiring artwork by Chicano artists in 1981 with a big vision in mind. They realized that the only thing that lasts of any people is their art, and what survives and who collects it and who interprets it is very important in how a people are perceived.

The Duróns have amassed nearly 700 works of art in different mediums and more than 3,000 pieces of ephemera, such as invitations to art shows and brochures. They change what’s displayed on their walls roughly every two years, with a lot in storage at any given time. There are 92 works on display at MMA, giving a sense of the depth and breadth of “Chicano art” – it is as varied as the people who conceive of and create it, in both message and style. The fourth exhibit of the season, Harvesting California: From the WPA Era to the Present, showcases works from MMA’s permanent collection featuring farms and farmworkers. The exhibit reveals the connection between art and agriculture. On a student tour, the link becomes evident as the landscape shows the Gabilan Mountains, farmworkers, and chemical tanks. Ramos, who turned his childhood home into fine art, led a fine art photography workshop using smartphones at Gonzales High School.

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