Past exhibits
The African Presence in México: From Yanga to the present
January 31 - June 1, 2008
The existence of Afro-Mexicans was officially affirmed in the 1990s when the Mexican government acknowledged Africa as Mexico’s “Third Root.” For nearly 500 years, the existence and contributions of African descendants in Mexico have been overlooked, although they have continued to contribute their cultural, musical, and culinary traditions to Mexican society through the present day. This groundbreaking exhibition provides an important opportunity to revisit and embrace the African legacy in Mexico and the Americas while creating significant occasions for cross-cultural dialogue, exchange and presentations for all age ranges and backgrounds. No exhibition has showcased the history, artistic expressions, and practices of Afro-Mexicans in such a broad scope as this one, which includes a comprehensive historical range of artwork including contemporary artistic expressions. The exhibition is organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago.
Trevino Street Scene
 Martinez Promised Land
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A companion exhibit to the African Presence in México exhibit is the Who Are We Now? Roots, Resistance and Recognition exhibit. African Americans and Mexicans are the two largest communities of color in the country. The National Museum of Mexican Art and the California African American Museum hope that this exhibition, Who Are We Now? Roots, Resistance, and Recognition, will help Mexicans and African Americans to look at their groups’ identities in light of the history they have shared both in the United States and in Mexico. The title of the exhibition refers to three phases of a timeline. The timeline charts the course of collaboration between the two groups in the U.S. since the U.S. won independence in 1783. Roots shows collaborations such as the Underground Railroad to Mexico, a network of people who helped formerly enslaved Africans escape to freedom, and the Black Seminole Migrations. Resistance describes the ways in which the two groups have influenced each other’s efforts to resist oppression and assimilation. Recognition illustrates the two groups’ recognition of their shared history. The artwork tells two parallel stories: that of Mexicans and African Americans interacting in the U.S. and that of African Americans moving between the U.S. and Mexico. To the left are two images that will be on display. Click on each title to view each image. |
sampling of works Presented
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