Nine Latino artists with roots in five Latin countries and the U.S. including Texas, Philadelphia and Bronx are showcased as part of Chicanismo Y Latinismo at the Creative Alliance August 22-September 27, 2014. Exhibitors include new Creative Alliance Community Arts Fellow, Tanya Garcia (MFACA 2014) and Community Arts Manager, Maria Aldana (MACA 2006) as well as fellow community artists/activists Edgar Reyes (MFACA 2014) and Juan Ortiz (MFACA 2015). Other stellar artists exhibiting include Uruguayan mural artist, Pablo Machioli and internationally exhibited Francisco Delgado and Michelle Angela Ortiz.

"Baltimore is rich with Latino artists from all over the world and here is the proof! Juan Ortiz brought the exhibition concept to us at Creative Alliance. I am so proud to be a part of Chicanismo y Latinismo, asking questions about who we are as a bicultural people in the struggle of shaping yet also maintaining our roots." -- Maria Aldana

Chicanismo y Latinismo is a group exhibition that explores how the Chicano movement has evolved by moving beyond its west coast origins and expanding the scope of its influence to include a multiplicity of Latin American identities. As a show, it recognizes that everyone immigrating to the United States has a collection of two or more personal stories: "Where I came from" and "where I am now," combined with nuances of gender, age, or sexual orientation. Everyone experiences these stories uniquely, and so each story demands a unique interpretation.

Chicano Art explores Chicanismo, or the qualities of being Chicano, and is an interpretation of multiple identities centralized in one person. Because the Chicano movement of the 1970's was so strongly associated with Mexican-American immigrants, it continues to carry this connotation today. There is a broad assumption in the United States that all crossing the southern border are from Mexico, when in fact we come from many countries. Latinismo is a newer term that recognizes the need to distinguish these histories with respect to our countries of origin and the culture we bring with us.

The curators of this exhibition have asked each of the participating artists to reflect on the ideas of Chicanismo and Latinismo, and to answer the questions: "How do you see your work within a Chicanismo or Latinismo context? Is it important to make a distinction between these terms?"

We are sincerely grateful to the Baltimore Community Foundation for its support of this exhibition. The exhibition itself would not be possible without the dedication and tireless enthusiasm the artists, curators, and moderator have expressed throughout this process. All of us involved with the exhibition wish to thank you for sharing in this examination of Latino culture and identity.