Tradition and Transformation

Pioneering art historian Shifra Goldman brought the study of Chicana/o and contemporary Latin American art to the notice of art history. She was determined to correct the stereotypes that had distorted the critical reception of Chicana/o and Latina/o art since the 1950s. This collection of essays, edited and introduced by Charlene Villasenor Black, not only represents her groundbreaking scholarship but also reflects her political activism. In these writings Goldman considers important theoretical issues, including how the Chicano movement influenced and was influenced by artists in the Southwest and Mexico and how different artistic visions clashed and interacted. She also investigates the careers of major Chicana/o artists, discusses specific series of artworks, and analyzes exhibitions, beginning with the historic Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, which opened in Los Angeles in 1990 and then traveled cross-country, closing in Washington, DC, in 1993. Many of the illustrations have not been widely reproduced, adding to the importance of this collection.