Las Comadres (part of
exhibition:)
Making Communities: Art and the Border
Exhibition through April 13th – UCSD Gallery
Article by Cathy Breslaw
cathybreslaw.com
Making Communities: Art and the Border brings together a diverse selection of artists with
one commonality: the drive to create work focusing on the multi-dimensional
cultural, social, political and economic issues of the San Diego/Tijuana border
region. As a visitor to the show, I found my attention drawn and riveted to a
video slide show of black and white portraits of women that were part of a
group called Las Comadres. These photos plus the other works exhibited by
this group, compelled me to learn more. Artist and group member Cindy Zimmerman
offered to help me on my quest by connecting me with members’ email responses
to questions I posed to the group. A
valuable ‘closed’ online conversation ensued among group members highlighting
the depth and legacy of this fascinating collective of women artists, scholars
and activists.
Artist/Las Comadres group
member Frances Charteris who created those potent portraits comments “I elected
to do individual portraits rather than group images because I felt it was the
only way I could honor the depth, richness and beauty of the women engaged in
our collective…When we discussed readings, art or politics I sensed and
witnessed the intensity of the reactions; the cross cultural tensions and the
way we’d stumble on the inexpressible or incommunicable…”
This transnational group functioned as Las Comadres from 1988-1992. It began as a reading/study group by founders
Emily Hicks, Rocío Weiss and Berta Jottar who had collaborated previously while
in a former group, the Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo. In a
discussion with Ruth Wallen and Anna O’Cain, the emergent group’s form was
further outlined. Hicks comments: “I wanted to be in a feminist group that was
open to experimentation and focused on border/immigration issues. The diversity
in Las Comadres was inspiring and as more women joined the group, I realized it
would be possible to expand to showing our work…. I
wanted Las Comadres to be an anti-racist, inclusive feminist art collective”.
Member Ruth Wallen added “the forming of the group was “sparked by
conversations at the opening of artist Hung Liu’s work at Southwestern College,
having to do with Chinese footbinding”. She also noted “Las Comadres included
students, both grads and undergrads, including some studying at Southwestern,
and faculty, all learning together…then other women
joined”.
Many of the Las Comadres were
UC San Diego alumna, but some were not – some became affiliated from their
involvement in Centro Cultural de la Raza. Graciela Ovejero Postigo comments: (we’re)”from
a long list of names coming from very different fields of cultural, ethnic,
work/disciplinary experiences and personal memories….self declared
feminists…there was a sense of trust shared that we all understood somehow and
consequently, could ably function on more organic non-hierarchial ways. I
remember great enthusiasm…there was a general sense that anyone could invite
somebody else to participate in the group.”
There were varied reasons as
to why members were drawn to Las Comadres. Eloise De Leon comments “I worked in
the field of women’s health and The Centro Cultural de la Raza served as my
training ground for understanding art that was political and the politics of
art, and my experience with Las Comadres helped pave the way for my entrance to
UCSD’s MFA program.” Postigo comments “membership became a catalyst - as a
feminist woman artist immigrant from Latin America, attempting to make sense of
myself everyday, in a foreign culture. Also, the interest of working as
geopolitically situated women artists critically dialoguing and intervening on
the immediate realities of the border region and contesting the persistently
relegated and denied
recognition to the work of
women artists within the art system.” Zimmerman comments “ Las Comadres brought a
dimension of honoring womens’ perceptions and connections to the issues and to
daily life, with a sensual and ritual aspect I had been longing for; an
invitation and permission to explore and expand in political, metaphysical and
social aspects.”
Most members agree that a few
formal institutions in the community that supported the ideas of the group and
their work were: Centro Cultural de la Raza, UCSD and the Museum of
Contemporary Art, San Diego. Zimmerman
comments: these and the Bridge Center for Contemporary Art in El Paso hosted
our shows.” Postigo also comments: “the Centro and its community became the
true supportive institution for our projects and concerns.” In 1992, a binational exhibition took place, co-organized by San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Centro Cultural de la Raza with work from Las Comadres. The title of that exhibition was La Frontera/The Border: Art About the Mexico/United States Border Experience.
Las Comadres were involved in
performance art exhibitions but also inserted their strong sympathies in social
and political activism. One example had to do with a response to a San Diego conservative
populist campaign led by former mayor and talk show host, Roger Hedgecock in
Fall, 1989 called “Light Up the Border”, a protest against ‘illegal aliens’ .
He encouraged a series of protests for San Diegans to line up their cars on the
border and aim their headlights to aid Border Patrols in apprehending the
undocumented trying to cross the border. In response, Las Comadres positioned
themselves opposite headlights of over 1000 cars by holding up mirrors and
mylar reflectors, returning the lights back on them. In addition, they hired a
plane to fly over the area occupied by protestors, with a banner reading “1000 Points of Fear – Another Berlin Wall?”
Some group members also distributed “Border Handbooks” explaining the history
of the area and attempting a dialogue with the press and demonstrators. Wallen
comments “I feel that our participation, offering historical facts, and an
alternative point of view was very important. We were also interviewed at
length in subsequent demonstrations. Aida Mancillas represented us in a half
hour interview with NPR. Many of us kept attending the subsequent
demonstrations. I kept documenting the protests and saw my role as silent
witness…” Kit Aaboe in commenting on Las
Comadres contributions on the border issue says “Many more activists have been
born and feel empowered, and are standing up for not ony their rights, but are
acting as advocates for those at risk. This is the core concept of Las
Comadres: understanding each other’s points of views and values and acting out
of sincere respect and concern for our neighbors.”
A major collaboration of the Las Comadres was an exhibition in 1990 at the Centro Cultural de la Raza called La Vecindad/The Neighborhood ,a multi-media, multidisciplinary exhibition. The installation featured three principle spaces representing different frameworks. A bright, multicolored kitchen contrasted with a completely black and white "conflict room." A third space, actually two small rooms, included a border feminist library and video viewing room. A performance, Border Boda, (Wedding) which was staged in the installation, centered around the differences between written and oral, as well as "First World" and "Third World" histories. Wallen comments “We explored what it meant to create border culture, a culture that instead of highlighting the alien and destitute celebrated the entire neighborhood.” De Leon comments: “ Our performance of Border Boda explored crossing borders and losing one’s language. That was a running theme in my life at that time. I’m currently serving in the Peace Corps and my goal is to finally learn Spanish. I like to imagine that I can finally speak to my grandparents who spoke only Spanish.” In her article Border Boda or Divorce Fronterizo?, Las Comadres member Marguerite Waller states “ Border Boda is not representational theater but a ritual performance processed out of our collective(if heterogeneous) memories, to give our audiences and ourselves the strength and spirit to come to terms with our painful histories and conflicted relationships to each other.”
Since 1992, the Las Comadres collective has not actively engaged in collaborations and now in 2017, have some reflective thoughts about themselves and the group:
“ We hoped to become closer to each other through telling our stories and weaving them into performance.” Marguerite Waller
“ The experience was memorable for me because I found it to be a healing space – a parenthesis: for the first time in my life I could speak openly on multiple levels – things I had never been able to say to anyone; ideas and thoughts I didn’t know had burst forth because of working with other women. .. It was transformational, life-changing, painful and joyful simultaneously. I ceased to care about patriarchy or even mention it because I discovered another way of being and living; other ways of creating and another space in which to create, one that was safe, experimental, playful, collaborative, female and often loving. These friendships were/are deep – hence the quality of communication today. …At that time, our collective allowed for privacy and intimacy. No one was expected to open up like some chose to. Nothing was forced or exacted on a personal level. Noone had to be transparent. We worked and played hard together in the best way we could.” Frances Charteris
And, in looking toward the future, the conversation among the members asked: Are you OK with Las Comadres continuing as a group? And do you want to be part of the group(and to what degree)?
“My answer is yes and yes. I think it is a powerful step to reassemble and move forward as a group. This time in history calls us back into action! For me, this time also calls me to reassert my feminist identity and reassess my feminist approach to art and activism.” Kit Anaboe
“I am very happy that Las Comadres is in the process of discussing whether or not we wish to continue as a group…I vote yes and yes….. I am very grateful that years ago, thanks to members of Las Comadres, I was able as a mother of a young child to participate in an inspiring community of women artists. I hope in future projects, to look at the diversity in our border feminist group and to discern some patterns. …” Emily Hicks
Las Comadres is a strong group of women who continued to succeed in their academic, artistic and life pursuits after 1992 in meaningful ways impacting their respective communities. Their re-connections these many years later with this online conversation, appears to have rekindled the spirit of the group. It will be exciting to see how Las Comadres evolves!
*Some of the Las Comadres group continues to be on view at the exhibition at UCSD Art Gallery continuing through April 13th.
Las Comadres Members: Kirsten Aaboe, Maria Kristina Dybbro Aguirre, Yareli Arizmendi, Camela Castrejon, Frances Charteris, Maria Erana, Eloisa de Leon, Laura Esparza, Emily Hicks, Berta Jottar, Aida Mancillas(deceased), Anna O'Cain, Graciela Ovejero Postigo , Lynn Susholtz, Ruth Wallen, Marguerite Waller, RoÍo Weiss, Cindy Zimmerman
