"Mujeres En Nepantla"
exhibit and performance
Friday, March 21, 2008
7-9 pm at La Peña & Las Manitas Avenue Café
227 & 211 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
NACCS Open Mic Poetry 9-11 pm
at the Hyatt Regency, Hill Country Ballroom
208 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78704
La Peña with the National Association for Chicano and Chicana Studies (NACCS) Annual Conference presents “Mujeres En Nepantla” on Friday, March 21. This event honors Gloria Anzaldua, Marsha Gomez, Lydia Mendoza, Yolanda Retter and raul r. salinas with a night of women’s art, music, and literature celebrating Women’s History Month.
Nepantla is a Nahuatl (Aztec language) term that means in between or refers to the space of the middle. A number of artists, writers, and poets have expanded on this concept. For Chicanos and Chicanas the term has come to symbolize the creation of a new middle impacted by colonial occupation and facing the process of trans-culturalization while holding on to their cultural roots.
“Mujeres En Nepantla” includes performances by the legendary musicians “La Calandria” Rita Vidaurri, Eva Ybarra, the undisputed “Queen of the Tex-Mex Conjunto Accordian”, and singer/composer Azul brought to Austin by the Esperanza Center of San Antonio.
An art exhibit at both La Peña and Las Manitas features the work of Alejandra Allmuelle, Santa Barraza, Ines Batllo, Cecilia Colome, Cecilia Sanchez Duarte, Courtney Enriquez, Maria Garza, Marsha Gomez, Ambray Gonzalez, Nivia Gonzalez, Maria Limon, Anna Salinas, Sarita Sanchez, Susanna Santos, Ana Sisnet, Carmen Rodriguez Sonnes, Liliana Wilson, Soledad Mansilla Wilson, Kathy Vargas, Terri Ybanez, and Katrina Zarate.
There will be an open mic that includes poetry readings by Norma Cantu, Erika Gonzalez, and Irene Peña from 9-11 pm at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Ballroom.
Featured Artist Bios
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“La Calandria,” Rita Vidaurri is an actress, musician and businesswoman born in San Antonio in El Callejon de Montezuma. She was well known throughout Mexico, in Central and South America, and in Cuba in the mid 40s to late 50s. Because of her popularity abroad, Rita has been lesser known in her own hometown of San Antonio. As part of the Arte es Vida project of the Esperanza Center, “La Calandria,” has performed and continues to perform in special programs for the San Antonio community. Even in her 80s, Rita’s voice rings true to her cultural roots in the tradition of the late Lydia Mendoza. |
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Eva Ybarra is an energetic San Antonio-based composer, accordionist, singer, arranger and bandleader of “Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto”. A self-taught musician, Eva began playing at icehouses, restaurants, and dance halls when she was six years old. Eva, who will be inducted into the Tejano Hall of Fame this year, broke the barrier for other women accordionists and today remains one of the genre's most prolific, cutting edge accordionists. |