On Saturday, July 9th, 2016; the Frida Festival committee will be hosting Frida Siempre: Presenté to honor the life of Frida Kahlo. This committee is comprised of Sarah Castillo of Lady Base Gallery, Tk Tunchez of Las Ofrendas, Janie McClinchie of Que Retro Arts & Fred-Anthony Garza of Viva Vegeria. This is an event that was initiated by painter, Janie Villarreal McClinchie. She wanted to coordinate a family friendly festival to honor the life of Frida Kahlo, as she explains "My love for her and how I want to teach the younger generation about her art, her life, and the reason why she is a symbol of a strong independent Latina," are Janie's reasons for envisioning this celebration. We welcome you to attend Frida Siempre: Presenté, 7-9-2016.
Janie Villarreal McClinchie of Que Retro Arts
In 2014, Janie Villarreal McClinchie created Que Retro Arts as a way to share her love for Mexican culture by way of art. Janie’s art is inspired by childhood memories in Laredo, Texas; where as a child, she spent many weekends and holidays with her abuela Guadalupe Ledzma Villareal. During this time, her abuela Guadalupe shaped her understanding of culture and art through visits to local mercados filled with colorful Mexican crafts, handmade goods, and enticing scents of Mexican foods. Most importantly, abuela Guadalupe taught her the importance of culture and traditions. At the age of 10, Janie saw her very first Frida painting, Self-Portrait with Monkey, 1938. She became enamored with Frida’s powerful features, brilliant use of colors, and combinationof nature via monkeys and flowers. To this day, Janie is inspired by the vividness of Frida’s work and ability to display the strength found in love and tragedy. Since then, Janie has traveled to various places in Mexico, including Mexico City to visit La Casa Azul, Frida's home. With each of her creations, Janie hopes to share her love for Frida, vida, y arte
Fred-Anthony Garza of Viva Vegeria
,Chef Fred Anthony Garza. creator of ¡Viva Vegeria, and Vegeria Vegan Restaurant aims to feed the masses and educate the city on issues like cultural preservation through food, healthy eating, urban gardening, farm-to-table movement, and organic seasonal farming.
Sarah Castillo of Lady Base Gallery
Sarah Castillo is an artist and cultural worker based in San Antonio, Texas. Born and raised in San Antonio, Castillo obtained her Master’s degree in Bicultural Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio with thesis title: Art as an Embodied Practice: Artistic Expression, Conocimiento, and Identity Formation. She is co-founder of Mas Rudas Collective and Creative Director of Lady Base Gallery. As an artist, Castillo works in mixed media and self portraiture in a self-reflexive method for understanding the self. She has shown at Galveston Arts Center, University of Texas at San Antonio, and was selected for the IV Biennial 2015 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. As a collective member, she has shown at Artpace, Institute of Texan Cultures, and Mexic-Arte Museum. As a cultural worker, she aims to coordinate exhibition spaces for women and lgbtqia artists working in the community and has been curating art shows; popping up at galleries throughout San Antonio since 2012, the Carver Community Cultural Center and Studio Fantomas, with upcoming shows at Galeria EVA, R Space, and AP Art Lab.
tk tunchez of Las Ofrendas
tk tunchez is the founder and designer at Las Ofrendas, as well as a multi-media artist, storyteller, & stone worker. She believes in the power of testimonio and truth-telling to heal and transform. She believes in magic and magic makers and this grounds her passion for supporting alternative economies, and continuing the historic roll of the handmade merchant/ artisan. Through her work in Las Ofrendas she incorporates traditional, indigenous knowledges & wise women tales, to create sacred adornments and artistic pieces. She aims to honor and amplify the raw and refined beauty of the divine feminine. She has been a traveling merchant, storycollector, handmade market organizer, and practicing stone worker for the last decade- and has traveled across the nation doing this work. It is a great honor for her to create this unique and special market to celebrate the spirit of the muxerdiosa, Frida Kahlo, and to amplify the work that local, handmade artisans are creating here in SA, Tx.
LocationBrick Marketplace at the
Blue Star Arts Complex 108 Blue Star San Antonio, Texas 78204 Contact Us |