MACLA is pleased to announce its fourth Chicana/o Biennial, an exhibition and public forum conceived to take inventory of and invite reflection every two years on the continuously emergent energy, critical edge, and aesthetic interventions within contemporary Chicano art.

Over the last thirty-seven years the field of Chicana/o art and scholarship has developed and expanded exponentially. As an art movement that developed alongside the Chicano civil rights struggles of 1960s and 1970s, Chicano art emerged in direct correlation to social change. Today, there are more points of view and subsequent artists contributing to this important movement of contemporary art, some of which are re-defining what it means to create “Chicana/o art” at this moment in time.

MACLA is looking to challenge the questions and concerns that are currently being brought forth in the contemporary art world. As such, this year’s biennial takes a thematic approach by asking the following questions: 1) What are the pressing concerns at this moment in time? (politics) 2) What does Chicana/o art look like today? (aesthetics) 3) How do artists engage the community? (activism & organizing). We are looking for artwork that is politi­cally charged and aesthetically innovative on many different levels and that addresses one or more of the above mentioned questions. We are also interested in work that depicts the intersection of art, technology and new media. We welcome proposals and projects from disciplines/genres/ activities that are not normally displayed in the gallery setting. All artwork must have been created within the last three years (2009 to 2011).

Looking to invert the dynamics of the art world biennial, this exhibition is a no-fee juried exhibition open to all artists who self-identify as Chicana/o. This biennial is about contemporary art through the lens of the Chicano experience, as nuanced and varied as that might be. MACLA is interested in work that is both about identity politics and beyond. This exhibition is open to artists whose work deals with all issues and is created in all mediums.

How to submit:

Submit artwork and information via www.callforentry.org (this is a free service)

You’ll be asked for the following:

1-5 digital images (for more info see http://www.callforentry.org)

Image list (size, year, media, etc.)

-Artist’s statement: focus on the intention of the work submitted

-Artist bio

-Contact info

For installation work submit visual images in the above format and the following: a full written description and supporting materials such as drawings and/or a diagram of how the work will be dis­played. Send this additional information via email to biennial@maclaarte.org or the address below.

For video or new media submit VHS video, DVD or a PC compatible CD (include program to run on the computer) along with the above mentioned materials to:

MACLA  - Chicana/o Biennial

510 South First Street San Jose, CA 95113

The Small Print:

Insurance: All works selected for the exhibition will be insured by MACLA for their designated value for the duration of the exhibition. Artist Honorarium: All artists will be paid an artist’s honorarium ($200) for exhibiting at MACLA. Shipping: We have a limited budget set aside for shipping assistance for artists based outside of the San Francisco Bay Area available on first-come, first-served basis. Please take size and shipping into consid­eration when submitting work. Once our shipping subsidies are expended, artists must assume this expense. Artwork: All work must arrive framed and ready to hang. Publicity: MACLA may reproduce all or portions of selected artwork for advertising, promotional and educational purposes. Questions?: email biennial@maclaarte.org

Restrictions:

Artwork must have been created within the last three years (2009 to 2011).

Timeline:

Deadline to submit work: Monday, October 24, 2011, 11:59 pm PST for online submission. Artist’s notification mailed: Monday, October 31, 2011. Exhibition dates: January 18-March 10, 2012 Opening Reception: February 3, 2012

Jurors:

Eugene Rodríguez, artist and professor of Art at De Anza Community College, and

Lisa Mari Ramirez, MACLA’s Director of  Programs.

About MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana MACLA is an inclusive contemporary arts space grounded in the Chicano/Latino experience that incubates new visual, literary and performance art in order to engage people in civic dialogue and community transformation.  Founded in 1989 as the result of a broad community mobilization in the City of San Jose and nationwide on behalf of multicultural arts, MACLA has evolved into a well respected arts organization known for our commitment to artistic excellence and civic dialogue.  Located in downtown San Jose, more than 30,000 people participate in the 50 programs MACLA produces annually.  Our four core program tracts include: visual arts; performance and literary arts; youth arts education; and community development through the arts.  In 2010, MACLA was honored to be the only San Jose organization to be named by Philanthropedia as one of the 21 most effective arts and culture organizations in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Support provided by: Arts Council Silicon Valley, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Castellano Family Foundation, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and MACLA donors. MACLA is a participant in the grantee network of Leveraging Investments in Creativity, funded by the Ford Foundation.

510 South First Street San Jose, CA 95113