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Susan Cervantes

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American artist
Susan Kelk Cervantes
Mural on The Women's Building
BornSusan Elizabeth Kelk
1944 (age 79–80)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Other namesSusan Kelk-Cervantes, Susan Cervantes
Alma materSan Francisco Art Institute
Known forMuralism
SpouseLuis Cervantes (m. ?—2005; death)
Children3

Susan Kelk Cervantes (née Susan Elizabeth Kelk; born 1944) is an American artist who has been at the epicenter of the San Francisco mural movement and the co-founder and executive director of the community-based non-profit, Precita Eyes Muralists.

Personal life and education

Susan Elizabeth Kelk graduated high school a year early in Dallas, Texas to attend art school at the age of 16. Since her parents could not help pay her tuition after losing their floral and nursery business Kelk accepted a scholarship from the Dallas Museum of Art and attended the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, (now known as the San Francisco Art Institute or SFAI). Kelk received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1965 and Master of Fine Arts in 1968 from SFAI.

In her first year of college in the 1960s, Kelk met her husband and collaborator, Luis Cervantes (1924–2005). They had three sons together.

Career

Susan Cervantes is considered a leader in the Mission District community mural movement and considers herself a community artist responsible for over 400 murals. Cervantes was introduced to murals through Diego Rivera's The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City (1931) at Diego Rivera Gallery and was inspired by and then joined the Mujeres Muralistas in the early 1970s. She was asked to help paint with the Mujeres Muralistas at Paco's Tacos, a restaurant on the corner of 24th and South Van Ness, which marks the moment she lost interest in her studio work on canvas. Though Cervantes was not Chicana her work was strongly influenced by and sensitive to the Chicano art movement.

Later, Susan began volunteering as an art teacher at the Precita Valley Community Center where her Thursday night painting workshop quickly became a mural workshop. The class did not have a wall to teach on, so they painted on five plywood panels, totaling 20 feet when assembled. That mural, named Masks of God, Soul of Man was the first and only mural Susan created that didn't have a wall waiting for it, meaning that "Walls come to " and that her work is all currently by request. It was displayed in the Bernal Heights Library and was debuted as the work of the Precita Eyes Muralists. Susan and Luis founded the Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center in 1977. Precita Eyes has been recognized for creating public art that reflects its community's history and culture. One of only three community mural centers in the United States, Precita Eyes sponsors and implements ongoing mural projects throughout the Bay Area and internationally. Some of her notable work has appeared at the MaestraPeace mural on the Women's Building, Clarion Alley Mural Project, Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, Balmy Alley and on the Northeastern University Latinx Student Cultural Center.

Maestrapiece is a monumental mural, created by Susan Cervantes and six other artists with the help of over one hundred volunteers, that depicts vibrant and powerful images of women from various cultures and historical periods, highlighting their strength, resilience, and contributions to society. Located on the Women’s Building in San Francisco, California, the mural serves as a hub for various organizations and programs that promote women's rights, social justice, and cultural diversity. For her part, Cervantes drew inspiration from artists with various backgrounds such as Diego Rivera, Dewey Crumpler, and the Las Mujeres Muralistas. One of Susan Cervantes’ significant contributions to the mural consisted of developing Menchú’s huipil, connecting the idea of textile manufacturing that is evident throughout the mural, even though the seven participating artists never claimed any of the motifs as their own. The mural’s use of textiles includes Zapotec fabrics, Chinese needlework, and North American quilts, all which constitute a popular form of artistic expression for women all around the world. Overall, Cervantes and the other artists contribution led to a beautiful two-walled mural that represents themes of feminism, social activism, and the achievements of women throughout history.

Precita Eyes has participated in many of the murals that are in San Francisco's historic Mission District neighborhood, known for the murals that cover the walls of many buildings in the neighborhood. They collaborate with schools in the community, as well as other youth programs, to allow youth artists to plan and execute their own mural design at their school or local building. Precita Eyes partners with mural artists to teach technique and creative thinking to the students that they work with, making sure that they have guidance but the freedom to create a mural that is meaningful to them and their community. Also among their slew of programs is a toddler art class, support for young student artists through exhibitions of their work, and providing educational tours of the murals in the neighborhood.

References

  1. ^ Whiting, Sam (January 4, 2014). "Mural matriarch Susan Cervantes makes it big in art". SF Gate. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  2. "Giving Thanks: Precita Eyes Makes the Mission Beautiful". Mission Local. 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  3. Estrella, Cicero A. (2005-05-02). "Luis Cervantes -- muralist who inspired generations of artists". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  4. Cordova, Cary (2017). The Heart of the Mission: Latino art and politics in San Francisco. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780812249309. OCLC 960292537.
  5. "Susan Kelk Cervantes". Rehistoricizing The Time Around Abstract Expressionism. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  6. Callahan, Molly (October 3, 2016). "NORTHEASTERN'S NEWEST ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PUTS MURAL IN STUDENTS' HANDS". News at Northeastern. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  7. Cordova, Cary (2017). The heart of the Mission : Latino art and politics in San Francisco. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 134. ISBN 9780812249309. OCLC 960292537.
  8. Latorre, Guisela (2008). Walls of empowerment : Chicana/o indigenist murals of California (1st ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 28. ISBN 9780292718838. OCLC 311063888.
  9. Arreola, Daniel D. (2004). Hispanic spaces, Latino places : community and cultural diversity in contemporary America (1st ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 95. ISBN 0292702671. OCLC 191935693.
  10. Jackson, Carlos Francisco (2009). Chicana and Chicano art : ProtestArte. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780816526475. OCLC 236117299.
  11. "Susan Cervantes". Art at Northeastern. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  12. Callahan, Molly (October 3, 2016). "Northeastern's newest artist-in-residence puts mural in students' hands". News@Northeastern. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  13. ^ Pérez, Laura E. (2007). ""MAESTRAPEACE:" Picturing the Power of Women's Histories of Creativity". Chicana/Latina Studies. 6 (2): 56–66. ISSN 1550-2546. JSTOR 23014500.
  14. Graves, Donna; Dubrow, Gail (2019). "Taking Intersectionality Seriously: Learning from LGBTQ Heritage Initiatives for Historic Preservation". The Public Historian. 41 (2): 290–316. doi:10.1525/tph.2019.41.2.290. ISSN 0272-3433. JSTOR 26862134. S2CID 182804443.
  15. ^ Latorre, Guisela (2008). Walls of Empowerment : Chicana/o Indigenist Murals of California. Vol. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71883-8.
  16. Stover, Gabriel N.; Northridge, Mary E. (April 2002). "The Health of Women of Color". American Journal of Public Health. 92 (4): 511. doi:10.2105/AJPH.92.4.511. ISSN 0090-0036.
  17. "Life is Art and Art is Life- Kellee Marlow & Susan Cervantes". Spark Conversations Podcast. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
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