A leading scholar of Mexican immigration, who is also the owner of the world鈥檚 largest private collection of Latino art, is making a rare visit to 黑料不打烊.
Gilberto C谩rdenas
, professor of sociology and executive director of the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture, will discuss 鈥淰isualizing Mexican Migration: Historical Context and Contemporary Flows鈥 on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. at La Casita Cultural Center (109 Otisco St., 黑料不打烊).
The multimedia event, which is followed by a reception, is free and open to the public. For more information, call La Casita at 315.443.2151.
C谩rdenas鈥 presentation is sponsored by the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs in the Maxwell School, as well as the Latino-Latin American Studies Program and La Casita, both in A&S.
Earlier in the day at noon, C谩rdenas will participate in 鈥淭he Spanish Table,鈥 in which attendees practice their Spanish conversation and learn about Latin American and Caribbean culture. From 12:30-2 p.m., he will deliver a lecture titled 鈥淎rt and Mexican Migration.鈥 Both events take place in 341 Eggers, and are free and open to the public.
C谩rdenas also will visit classes taught by Myrna Garc铆a Calder贸n, associate professor of Spanish in A&S, and Rafael Fern谩ndez de Castro Medina, professor of public administration and international affairs in Maxwell.
Tere Paniagua 鈥82, executive director of the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community in A&S, is excited about C谩rdenas鈥 visit. 鈥淗e will address the aesthetics of Latino art and culture,鈥 she says. 鈥淢uch of what he has to say is underscored by the fact that many Latino artists are also social activists, particularly in the United States.鈥
C谩rdenas understands the tension between art and politics鈥攕omething he has studied for more than 40 years. In that time, he has quarterbacked a series of scholarly projects focusing on immigration; race and ethnic relations; and historical, comparative and visual sociology. They have spawned four major books, including 鈥淟a Causa: Civil Rights and the Quest for Equality in the Midwest鈥 (Arte P煤blico Press, 2004), which he co-edited, and dozens of related monographs, articles and chapters.
C谩rdenas’ private collection includes this painting by Sam Coronado.
The East Los Angeles native also boasts the world鈥檚 largest private collection of Latino art. His interest in collecting and exhibiting art took hold in the late 鈥60s, against the background of the heated Chicano Movement. C谩rdenas鈥 passion eventually grew to encompass photography, and continued unabated during graduate studies at Notre Dame and early faculty appointments at Colorado College, the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley.
It was during a 24-year stint at the University of Texas at Austin that C谩rdenas established and owned Galer铆a sin Fronteras Inc., a commercial art gallery dedicated solely to Chicano (Mexican-American) and Latino artists. He also founded and served as executive producer of National Public Radio鈥檚 鈥淟atino U.S.A.,鈥 currently the longest-running Latino-focused program on U.S. public media.
Since 1999, C谩rdenas has occupied multiple positions at Notre Dame. Prior to taking over the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture in 2012, he served as founding director of the university鈥檚 Institute for Latino Studies and as Notre Dame鈥檚 assistant provost. He also has held the Julian Samora Chair in Latino Studies, and is a full sociology professor.
C谩rdenas has spent the past 20 years overseeing the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a national consortium of 25 member centers and institutes. He has been thrice-named to the Hispanic Business magazine鈥檚 鈥100 Most Influential Hispanics鈥 list, and has been twice-appointed to serve on U.S. Presidential Commissions.
