Mission Cultural Center
Secretos Bajo la Piel (Secrets Under the Skin) opened at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco May 14 through June 27, 2014. During the artists' talk May 15, artists Jill Flanders Crosby and Brian Jeffery of Anchorage, Alaska, Marianne Kim of Tucson, Arizona, and Susan Matthews of Oakland, California discussed issues relating to their various art forms and the nature of their collaborative process as they researched the ongoing cultural connections between Cuba, Ghana, and Togo.
The immense gallery at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (www.missionculturalcenter.org) provided enough space to present the most complete version of the Secrets Under the Skin installation. It was important to us to exhibit in San Francisco because the Bay Area is home to so many people of African origin, Ocha communities directly connected with Cuba, and dynamic Cuban, Brazilian, and Puerto Rican performing groups. One such prominent group of musicians in the Afro-Cuban folkloric tradition, led by Michael Spiro and Sandy Perez, performed at the opening reception. Special thanks go to Jennie Rodriguez, Adrian Arias and Angelica Rodriguez, who made the installation possible. For video documentation please contact gallery@missionculturalcenter.org
All images by Brian Jeffery.
The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) was established in 1977 by artists and community activists with a shared vision to promote, preserve and develop the Latino cultural arts that reflect the living tradition and experiences of the Chicano, Central and South American, and Caribbean people. MCCLA makes the arts accessible as an essential element to the community's development and well-being.
Secretos Bajo la Piel is funded in part by travel grants from the University of Alaska Anchorage and an anonymous private donation