Espejos de Aztlán; Patricio Trujillo

very famous Chicano artist, you think? Thanks to that. Honda, New Mexico. I was one of the judges, and he selected my work, and I'm suspecting, obviously, since I got into the show, other judges selected my work to be exhibited at the Museo Chicano in Phoenix, Arizona. And I have to say that they had over 500 entries from all over the country. They only chose 44, and I happened to be the only one selected from New Mexico. So I feel that in terms of the question that it has quite an impact, and we are starting to recognize more of the importance of what that represents to us as Chicano's, and as a community of artists, and a community of brothers and sisters. You were born in Guadalupe, Colorado, and you've lived in New Mexico for, I don't know, six, seven years, but you've left Guadalupe in one to New York, what was happening there? Well, I had the opportunity to have a job which is certainly very important. You get to New York City, if you don't have no job, homeboy would be out in the streets.

So I got there, and I had a job, and I had an apartment waiting for me, and immediately I began my dance lessons, and started looking for the opportunities to exhibit in galleries there, which, of course, I was doing. So having gotten to New York, it was the kind of thing where, because we have these ambitions, and if you are ambitious, you're gonna want all that you can get as an artist, because you want to be able to give your things to the community, to the world, and so, what better place to start doing that than New York City? And so I had the chance to go there, and I was living in Wichita, Kansas, and I put everything in storage, and took off to New York with probably $5 in my pocket, but I had a job and an apartment waiting, so, and you were mentioning to me that you went back to New York recently, and you had an opportunity to recite one of your favorite poems,

a poem that is, I guess, that perhaps best captures the history and the feelings of Chicanos that live in the southwest, the struggles that we have gone through, and that is very lengthy, epic poem written by Sonja or the Denver, Colorado, for the old four, Corky Gonzalez, Yossoi Joaquin, and can you tell us, well, first, let me mention that you'd like to read an excerpt of that here tonight, but first tell us how it went there New York, how it was received. Well, people were very supportive, and it was the kind of thing where they got the history of the Chicano or the people of the southwest in 20 minutes or so, they got 500-year history. So, it was very well received. People wanted me to do a non-core, which I did one of my own poems called The Annihilation. So, in terms of Corky's poem,

which is an epic poem, and I wanna make this tribute to him, and to Cecil Chavez. It just sort of ties everything together, and what was so incredible, as I got to recite this poem, at the Museum of Modern Art, which was displaying paintings from Latin American artists, some incredible things by Diego Rivera and original paintings by Frida Kahlo, and it was really fine to be there. Well, Patricia, the microphone is yours, but Pricio Trujillo, interpreting a section of Corky Gonzalez's epic poem, Yossoi Joaquin. I am walking lost in the world of confusion, caught up in the world of a green or society, confused by the rules, scorned by the attitudes, suppressed by manipulation and destroyed

by a modern society, my fathers have lost the economic battle, and won the struggle for cultural survival, and now, I must choose. Between the paradox of victory of the spirit despite physical hunger, or to exist in the grasp of American social and your roses, sterilization of the soul, and a fool's stomach. Yes, I've come a long way to nowhere, unwillingly dragged by that monstrous, technical, industrial giant called progress. I look at myself, I watch my brothers, I shed tears of sorrow, I sow seeds of hate. I was drawn to the safety within the circle of life. Me dasa, I am quote them, or proud and noble leader of men,

king of an empire civilized beyond the dreams of a Gachupin Cortes, who is also the blood, the image of myself. I am the Maya Prince, I am Nesah Wat Guadal, great leader of the Chichi Makas. I am the sword and the flame of Cortes, the despot, and I am the eagle, and the serpent are the Aztec civilization. I owned the land as far as the eye could see under the crown of Spain, and I toiled on my earth and gave my Indian sweat and blood for the Spanish master, who ruled with tyranny over man and beast, and all that he could trample, but the ground was mine. I was both tyrant and slave as Christian church took its place in God's good name

to take and use my virgin strength and trusting faith. The priests, both good and bad took, but gave a lasting truth that Spaniard Indian mestizo were all God's children, and from these words grew men who prayed and fought for their own worth as human beings, for that golden moment of freedom. I was in part blood and spirit of that courageous village, Priest Tidalgo, who in the year 1810 rang the bell of independence, and gave out that lasting cry, a great daughter, Dolores, a great daughter, and a great daughter, and a great daughter, and a great daughter, and a great daughter, and a great daughter, I sentenced him, who was me.

I excommunicated him, my blood. I drove him from the pulpit to lead a bloody revolution for him and me. I killed him. His head, which is mine, and all of those who have come this way, I placed on that fortress wall to wait for independence. Morelos, matamoros, gerero, all compagneros in the act, stood against that wall of infamy, to fill the hot gouge of net, which my hands made. I died with them. I lived with them. I lived to see our country free, free from Spanish rule in 1821, Mexico was free. The crown was gone, but all its parasites remained and ruled and taught, with gun and flame and mystic power.

I worked. I sweated. I bled. I prayed and waited silently for life to begin again. Patricia Trujillo, interpretando, el poema, epico, the corky Gonzalez, yoso y huakin. Patricia will be exhibiting what 41, Patricia? 41, 41 pieces of papel picado at the Consula, the Mexico Gallery, which is located at the western bank building, 401 5th Street, northwest. It's right on the corner of 5th and Marquette, and there will be an opening reception on Friday, this coming Friday, starting at 5. Patricia will be there.

His work will be there. He will be reciting, corky's poem, and its entirety, and I think he will be singing a few songs. I should also mention that we have in our studios when Amiga, Shirley Chavez, and in a few moments, Shirley and Patrice, you are going to be singing a song. Patricia, I just want to point out that apparently you feel very comfortable working with miniatures. You have some papel picado pieces that are miniatures, and yet then you have some pieces that are like eight by eight or something like that. So apparently papel picado gives you all the freedom you need to express the totality of your creativity. Well, you know, Cecilia, I'm sure we could wrap the world in paper, and all the implications about that, I do feel very comfortable with it, and that's really the way I like to work.

I'm comfortable at home alone in my studio. I'm very happy to be there with my papel picado, and producing and grappling with the paper. What about this exhibit? What do you think people should expect from this in terms of your life's work? Well, they're going to see a relatively broad spectrum of my work, both in terms of the techniques I used to do the work, cut paper, tearing it, folding it. So they'll see a real large selection. They'll see from as far back as 1987, to as recently as 1993, and a lot of the works that are on display were done specifically for the exhibition at the Ponce de Lado. That'll be this Friday. This Friday at 5 p.m. At 5 p.m., everyone is, of course, welcome to the opening reception, and your work will be exhibited through September, September the 10th.

Right, leave. But the ratio of you and Shirley Chavez are interested in singing a song, and I'll let you tell us what kind of a song it is. Well, it's called Sor de Londo. It's written by Daniel Valdez, and it's about the migrant farmworker, and it has to do with daily the sun is shining big and bright and round in the sky, and the compensator was wondering why his boss can't be so gracious with his goodness as the sun daily is with its goodness. And it's a song without instruments. Yeah, I could put them. We're going to try to do it like a palace, so hopefully we'll do this. But the ratio of Trujillo is Shirley Chavez. La Ria's dancing, y'all, y'all, y'all.

La Ria's dancing, y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all. But the ratio of Trujillo is Shirley Chavez, interpretando, una selection de lcñor, Daniel Valdez. But ratio, that was really beautiful. Thank you Shirley. Thank you. Thank you. Very melancholy, canna. But I see you running around town all over the place. I understand you do a lot of workshops and you work a lot with young adults. Yes, sir. Tell us a little bit about what you try to do with the young ones.

Most of the CEO, I really think it's important, especially with the idea that there's all the funding cuts going on. And by the way, New Mexico kids are some of the most uneducated because of lack of funding in the country. And I think that's a tragedy. And so therefore, how I feel like I can pitch in is I go to the schools, I do workshops in music, in art, in movement. I work in community centers. A big production I did was at the Paradise Hills Community Center and I directed about 35 kids in an adaptation of the Nutcracker. I also do community events. I've worked at the South Broadway Cultural Center. It's important for me to show kids other ways that artists are working because I think unless we have an audience and unless we develop an audience, we have no arts community. And I like to think that New Mexico has a sophisticated audience as well. And so I'm trying to bring that to the youth. Sure, a lot of people really appreciate that, Patricia. Why don't you invite some of the friends that might be listening tonight to the opening

reception of your exhibit at the Mexican Council at Gallery. I believe you entitled that, Colores. Colores, yes. Well, first of all, Cecilia, I want to thank you for having me and my friend Shirley here and it's really quite an honor. I do want to invite all of my friends, anybody who might be listening, spread the word. Please come and see the show. I think you'll see works that you might not be seeing normally. I think it's a special exhibit and I think it really looks good. I'm pleased with what we've presented here. But I especially would like to invite my brother and his family, Rick, Marcella, Kristi and Ricky. And I'd also like to invite my niece, Sonia, who's visiting from Colorado. But as well, my friends, my community of artists, my family. You think a lot of people in local or other following your career, Patricia, wondering what kind of stuff you've done. Cecilia, are you kidding? I'm getting so many fan males. I just can't answer all the letters I'm getting. Keep sending them.

By the time. Patricia Trujillo, you're done. You're done. You're stuck on a so-throughs Shirley Chais. I got the contact on a selection. Patricia Trujillo will be exhibiting his lapel picado. 41 pieces will be an exhibit at the Consulado de Mexico. And the opening reception will be this Friday, starting at five. And of course, everyone is invited. We'll probably go on through the night, but this Saturday night. A lot of you people that might know Patricia may want to be there to see probably the most comprehensive collection of pieces you've exhibited. I would say so. I don't think there's any. I have not presented my works in this kind of forum anywhere ever in my career. And so this represents a first 41 pieces from the miniature to the gigantic full range of the work that Patricia has created for for some time. A lot of the pieces were done, especially for this exhibit. Consulado, the Mexico gallery is on

the corner of Fifth and Marquette. It's at the Western Bank building, 4015 Street. And the works will be there through September the 10th. Everyone is invited. If you can't make it through the reception, you can visit the Consulado de Mexico gallery from eight till two in the afternoon. Cecilia, I just want to thank the Consulado for having me and I would like to thank all the staff down there. They've been wonderful people and they've been very helpful. Well, I had an opportunity to see that exhibit and they can guarantee everyone that it's it's a wonderful exhibit. Thank you, Cecilia. Very, very powerful. Patricio Trujillo, Artor, Pueda, Pintor Artista, a little bit of everything. And I'll build the Brooklyn Bridge.

Thank you, Shirley, for joining us here tonight also. Thank you for having me. Thank you, Cecilia. Thank you, Cecilia. Thank you, Cecilia. Thank you.