09.11.10: Adelita Pata De Perro...

“Memory in Mexican culture extends beyond the personal. Ancestral legacies and historical events before and after the Conquest impact the Mexican creative mind and those of Mexican background who reside outside the country of their heritage. Jenny Priego as a Chicago performance artist has begun an exciting self exploration through her self-portraits with photography and video, from neo-Mexican Revolutionary soldadera who breaks borders by appearing in unexpected locations around the globe…” –Ana Castillo, June 2010 We invite you to join us for ...

08.29.10 Domingo Newsbytes...

Since mid-summer I’ve had my mind on September because with it comes the culmination of two wonderful and exciting projects.  Consider this your official invitation to come out and join me, so, mark your calendar for the second weekend in September to enjoy two events that promise to be a ton of fun–and if we’ve never met, maybe now’s the time to come over and say hello. Friday, 09.10.10: Vida Breve, opening night celebrations for the annual Day of the Dead exhibit at the NMMA, there will be an altar by El Stitch y Bitch honoring our crafty...

Is There A Dr. In The House That Speaks ...

by Yolanda Cardenas, M.D. Photo Credit: Yolanda Cardenas M.D. A recent Domingo Newsbytes pointed out that the Association of American Medical Colleges states there aren’t enough Latino doctors for the growing Latino population in the U.S. Only 6% of medical students are Latino. As a Latina physician, this wasn’t earth-shattering news to me.   I didn’t encounter many Latino students during my medical training.  I was 1 of 5 Latinos in my class at medical school.  When I finished my residency training, I began to meet more Latino physicians.   This was mainly...

08.22.10 Domingo Newsbytes...

Photo via MeanlittleBumbleBee We had a fantastic Proyecto Latina this past week at Catedral Café featuring guest curator Sandra Treviño who decided to spotlight some Latina artists she was very excited about including:  Elizabeth Colin of Grupo Atroz, Mariel “La Gitana” Zavala, the women of bomba group Buya.  For a full recap we encourage you to read MeanLittleBumbleBee’s blog. Next month, in light of a special program, we are having an opening night for our first featured visual artists–also our first featured artists via an art exhibit– we will be...

08.15.10 Domingo Newsbytes...

Ever since my mom pointed it out in a norteña song long ago I’ve been smitten with the accordion.  I happened to mention this to Sandra Treviño earlier this year, when I first sat down with her to explore the way in which we could feature her on the Proyecto Latina platform .  Her eyes lit up and she expressed an affinity for the instrument as well.  For now I’m going to live vicariously through her since she’s about to embark on learning how to play it–this was one of the factoids that emerged when I hung out with her earlier this week.  She...

Sandra Treviño: music and writing rhaps...

“When I grow up I want to be a classical violin player,” Sandra Treviño, 38, quotes her younger self. As a young girl in Houston she always knew she wanted to work with music and it has always been a part of her life.  She would go into her room, turn on the radio and listen to two types of music: heavy metal and classical.  She eventually learned to play the violin and participated in her school orchestra for many years.  More recently she’s expressed interest in picking up the accordion.  A band member of the music group she manages, Descarga, offered to let...

08.08.10: Domingo Newsbytes…...

Photo credit: Lea Nuñez On Friday I strolled over to the Tejer y Poder showcase put together by students of the six-week program led by our very own Irasema Gonzalez and Thelma Uranga at at Dvorak Park in the Pilsen neighborhood. The program consisted of 30 students, both teenage girls and boys, coming together to learn to knit, crochet, and work collectively on fiber arts and learn that both can be used a form of art and protest. I was blown away by the effort the students put into their projects. It made me reflect on the wonderful things that happen when you give kids...

08.16.10 The Sandra Treviño Hour...

Sandra A. Treviño is the first guest curator for Proyecto Latina this Mon, Aug 16th. We are putting a twist on our August 16th edition of Proyecto Latina and welcoming our first guest curator.  Sandra Treviño–an authority on Chicago’s Latin Alternative music scene for over ten years–has hand-picked three emerging Latina musicians she wants to see spotlighted–there will be live music and a q&a.  As always, the chisme box will be there and the open-mic list will only have four spots, so arrive early to sign-up. Date: Monday, August 16,...

08.01.10 Domingo Newsbytes...

“They’ve towed my car with Chisme Box in the trunk!”  That was the alarmed text I sent Diana and Coya on Wednesday afternoon when I walked out of work and discovered that street parking had been restricted due to a neighborhood festival and I had missed the (minute) signage in the morning.  Both stepped in like champions, you see I was due at the  Guild Complex’s, B.Y.O.P event.  Proyecto Latina had an invitation to present with Dancing Girl Press. While I navigated a huge dusty yard of impounded cars, in my brand new sandals, trying to recover...

7.25.10 Domingo Newsbytes...

Cast of Thirst: Left-To-Right: Claudia Martinez, Josie Dykas front Diane Herrar and Diana Pando in the back I woke up this morning  reflecting on this week  and I can’t help but be blown away by the amazing amount of Latina talent and creativity that is emerging. Here are some quick highlights: This week our reading series was packed over at Café Catedral. Folks got to see our feature writer Cristina Correa read her work and hear some new emerging Latina talent during the open mic portion like Awilda Gonzalez and Laura Nuñez. Later during the week, I had the...