Xicana! San Diego: A remarkable exhibition of women’s art at CCA in Escondido

By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.

 

The End of Innocence by Ginette Rondeau

If you haven’t been to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido for a while, now is a great time to visit their museum. The main attraction is Xicana! San Diego, a showing of 218 artworks by women who identify themselves as Chicanas--born in the U.S., but celebrating their Mexican heritage. The Xicana spelling references the indigenous Nahuatl language, dating back to the Aztec empire. 

Curated by Dulce Stein, at ESMoA (Experimentally Structured Museum of Art) in Torrance, Xicana! was originally presented at El Camino College last year. For the Escondido exhibition, San Diego artists were invited to submit their works in May, and 46 of them were chosen. The current exhibition includes artworks from the previous show along with these new additions. 

The image above is a detail from a piece by surrealist Ginette Rondeau, a well-known Los Angeles artist whose art and designs can also be seen in books and calendars. And Xicana! will surely end any innocence you may have about what women artists are capable of creating.

 

Lady Lowrider by Rachel Zepeda.

 This is the first thing you notice as you enter the museum. It’s more than a tricked-out Lincoln Town Car; it’s a work of art by a San Diegan who does videography of lowrider cars and events.

 Untitled, by Stephanie Mercado.  A woodcut by a Los Angeles artist/art administrator whose website proclaims her interest in creating meaningful connections.

Las Maias by Gloria Favela Rocha and Maria Islas. A three-panel 4’ x8’ mural by Rocha, a muralist/paint contractor/art instructor who lives in the foothills of San Diego and says her artwork has been influenced by her mother’s faith and her father’s farming life; and Islas, her collaborator, a self-taught artist raised by a single mom in Southeast San Diego, who spent 38 years in the Navy and has painted murals throughout San Diego County.

An Invitation by Emilia Cruz. Mixed media on paper by a San Diego artist who teaches at the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park and writes: “I am exploring different ways I can depict vulnerability, self-healing, and empowerment.”

 

Tree of Forgotten Prayers by Sonia Romero. Acrylic on canvas by an L.A. artist known as a painter, printmaker and specialist in public art. Her work documents the cultural symbols and narratives of her city.

There are many other artworks to admire and consider in Xicana! San Diego, including a video installation in the rear of the museum. The only problem is: there is no signage, no artists’ names or information, only numbers on the floor at each piece that you have to scan into your phone. And then, all you get is a name and a title, so it turns out to be very difficult to find out about any of the artists or the work on view.  A suggestion: when you see something you like and want to know more about it, ask the friendly Museum Manager, Rokhsane Hovaida, who will do her best to help.  She’ll be happy to tell you about all of the art on the CCAE campus and upcoming events as well.

In a small gallery behind the museum there’s another part of this exhibition that you definitely don’t want to miss-- the one piece not made by a woman.  It’s Tonantzin, an 11-foot-tall goddess created by artist Louis Verdad. 

 

Tonantzin by Louis Verdad.

Verdad, an acclaimed fashion designer born in Guanajuato and based in L.A., worked with muralist Eloy Torres and a team of sculptors, historians, and glass and embroidery artists to create this Aztec Earth Mother Goddess. Tonantzin, who was impregnated by a feather, is considered a precursor of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Xicana! San Diego will be on view through November 2, 2025. Bring family or friends, so you can talk about what you see.

And if you love Xicana! San Diego put September 27^th on your calendar: There will be a Chicana Block Party on the campus that afternoon, including a lowrider car show and a chance to build your own paper lowrider and help create a community mural. See you there! 

California Center for the Arts Museum
Xicana! San Diego 
Louis Verdad:Tonantzin 
on view until Nov 2
340 N. Escondido Blvd. Escondido, CA 92025
Hours: Wed-Sat, 11a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Adults $12 Over 65: $10 Students $6 Under 18: FREE
Pay admission once, return for free all year!  
For more information: 760- 839-4120 or museum@artcenter.org

 

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Diego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net