In fall 2017, museums in Southern California will see an unprecedented number of art exhibits exploring the connections between Latin America and Los Angeles. The project, Pacific Standard Time: L.A./L.A., is made up of 43 exhibitions and funded by $8.5 million in grants from the Getty Foundation.
“Los Angeles is deeply linked to Latin America in its history and in its current demographics,” said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation, to the Los Angeles Times. “No one has ever put so many Latin American shows together at one time, especially side by side with shows by Latino artists – so people could dialogue about it.”
On Wednesday, the organization awarded the museums the latest round of grants, totaling $8.5 million. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for example, received half a million dollars for three different exhibits. Before Wednesday, Getty had already invested about $20 million into this project.
Though the exhibits’ debut is still more than a year away, Getty Foundation has provided a description for each of them. Here are eight highlight exhibits that you’ll want to check out next year:
1
Circles and Circuits: Chinese Caribbean Art
Venue: Chinese American Museum and California African American Museum
Both the Chinese American Museum and California African American Museum will show this exhibition, which will look at the art created by artists of Chinese descent in Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, and other countries. CAAM will showcase work from the 1930s to the different independent movements, and CAM will focus on contemporary artists.
2
From Latin America to Hollywood: Latino Film Culture in Los Angeles 1967-2017
Venue: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Mexican directors have dominated the past few Oscars, but The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s exhibit will do more than just honor the achievements of Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón. Through a series of film screenings and conversations with members of the film industry, the Academy will highlight the work of Latino and Latin American filmmakers of the last 50 years — beginning with the 1960s and the cinema movements of that time.
3
Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis
Venue: Fowler Museum at UCLA
This exhibit will celebrate Salvador de Bahia’s large Afro-Brazilian population. Through the works of artists like Pierre Verger, Carybé, Ayrson Heráclito, and Caetano Dias, Axé Bahia will delve into race and cultural affiliation for Brazil’s black population.
Related: This Brazilian Photographer’s Project Celebrates Black Beauty in Bahia
4
Mexico/California, 1820-1930
Venue: Laguna Art Museum
This exhibit will explore the U.S.-Mexico War (1846-1848), which saw parts of Mexico become California. “The visual arts played a strong role in this transformation, creating distinct pictorial motifs and symbols that helped define the new California while establishing dialogues and intersections with the land’s previous identity as Mexico,” according to the Getty Foundation.
5
Visualizing Language: A Zapotec Worldview
Venue: Library Foundation of Los Angeles
This exhibition is a celebration of Zapotec, a widely spoken indigenous language in Oaxaca that also has a strong presence in Los Angeles. Through the works of artists, scholars, and poets, A Zapotec Worldview will show how the language is yet another way to connect Mexico and Los Angeles.
6
¡Murales Rebeldes!: Contested Chicana/o Public Art
Venue: La Plaza de Cultura y Artes and California Historical Society
In recent years, a law banning public murals in Los Angeles challenged the city’s status as the “mural capital of the world.” While artists like Levi Ponce and Kristy Sandoval have revitalized the mural scene in LA, they are following in the footsteps of those who came before them.
In the 1960s and 1970s – in the midst of the Chicano Movement – murals became a symbol of empowerment for Mexican-Americans who didn’t see themselves represented in the mainstream. Murals by Barbara Carrasco, Roberto Chavez, Willie Herrón, and Sergio O’Cadiz are just a few featured in this exhibit.
Related: The LA Muralists That Turned Mural Mile Into a Celebration of Latino Culture
7
Guatemala from 33,000 Kilometers: Contemporary Art from 1960-Present
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
According to Getty, Guatemala’s modern and contemporary art has rarely received recognition outside of the Central American country. Guatemala from 3,000 Kilometers will highlight the work of artists produced between the civil war and present day.
Related: NYC’s First Exhibit On Contemporary Guatemalan Art Reimagines The Country’s Bloody Past
8
Día de los Muertos, A Cultural Legacy: Past, Present, and Future
Venue: Self Help Graphics & Art
Self Help Graphics & Art will see how Día de Muertos has evolved from an indigenous tradition to something that now has commercial appeal. The exhibit will show how Self Help’s Day of the Dead events have changed throughout the decades. And artists like Ofelia Esparza, Gerardo “Acamonchi” Yépiz (Tijuana), and Marco Vera (Mexicali) will create altares.