The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has been a centerpiece of the neighborhood’s cultural life for more than 40 years, but new exhibits put its heritage in a longer historical perspective.
upon On Friday night, as part of MCCLA’s 45th Anniversary Gala 2022, the center will present an exclusive West Coast premiere of “The Mayan Rulers at the Heart of the Mission — Reyes Mayas en el Corazon de la Mission.” The exhibition presents masterpieces of bas-relief carvings created by the Maya in the 9th and 10th centuries, linking ancestral iconography with mission inhabitants that trace their roots to Guatemala and southern Mexico.
Zacatecas-born master sculptor Manuel Parros created his work in his studio in Bayview. right. Her father inherited the mold from João Patten, whose work was licensed by the Guatemalan government to preserve Mayan carvings.
Theft was already a problem at Mayan sites like Tikal, but a devastating magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1976 destroyed several museums where the artifacts were displayed. Patten used a cast to replicate the damaged piece. The MCCLA exhibit features 23 of his works out of about 90 cast from the molds Paros is restoring.
“My father removed them in his spare time and just started working on them. It’s going to be amazing. When the Mission Cultural Center contacted me, I decided that now was the perfect time to start exhibiting.”
Founded in 1977 by artists and community activists, MCCLA is dedicated to showcasing and promoting the creative expression of Chicanx, Caribbean and Latin American peoples, and has played a multifaceted role in its mission. It is a gallery, performance space, study center, community hall, and a leader in documenting and preserving the work of visual artists, poets, sculptors, dancers, and musicians.
The MCCLA’s historic role in championing Latinx culture was recognized last month when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously named the building a city landmark. This recognition is timely as the institution is rebuilding after being closed for two years during the pandemic. With Martina Ayala as Executive Director, her MCCLA is in the hands of a seasoned cultural activist with many years of experience working in an international environment.
As a Chikana I growing up in East Los Angeles, Ayala grew up in the movement. Although she graduated from Franklin High School in Her Park, Highlands, her true education came among artists and cultural activists in her neighborhood.
“I’m a kid who learned how to walk and dance at the local cultural center,” she said. “Our school did not have an arts program. My childhood dream was to become America’s first president and the most famous dancer.”
She pursued that dream at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a dual major in dance and political science. But as Hollywood’s “Hispanic craze” of the 1980s picked up momentum with films like “El Norte,” “La Bamba,” “Born in East LA,” and “Stand and Deliver,” she found herself in the hands of pioneering director Luis Valdes. I contacted Franciscan As the director of Communications’ Spanish-language program, she had the budget to make the film. Valdes got in touch with award-winning filmmaker, playwright and author Severo Pérez. “He taught me all about filmmaking. We still have a long way to go, but it’s been great to see how far we’ve come since then.”
Ayala’s career paths include all types of positions in arts, education and social service organizations. From 2000 until 2006 she founded and operated the Northeast Academy College Preparatory School in the old neighborhood of Los Angeles. of training at the San Francisco Family Support Network. “But I left it and just focused Martina La Latina Productions hosts cultural events and galas and helps raise funds for nonprofits,” she said.
Taking over the MCCLA during a pandemic is a daunting task. Jenny Rodriguez, who has run the center since the late 1990s and is widely credited with being instrumental in the organization’s revival, left a big shoe to fill. Ayala sees it as a legacy to build, but she has ambitious plans that require her resources to get serious.
“I have nothing but respect for Jenny and her leadership,” she said. “We have the same mission, but I have a very different vision and leadership style. I want to turn this into a premier cultural center, which means treating artists with respect You can’t blame anyone if you don’t do your best to raise money so that you can treat your employees with respect and pay them a fair wage.”
Paying staff and artists isn’t the only factor when expanding the budget. Aside from the pandemic, the MCCLA will face major hurdles as the organization undertakes seismic retrofits that will force the center to relocate late next year. “We have to raise as much money as possible and find other ways to bring our show to the community so we can come back bigger and better,” Ayala said. increase.