Joe Galarza
Joe "Peps" Galarza is a Chicano artist, educator, and musician based in Los Angeles. He is the bassist for the Chicano rap group Aztlan Underground.[1]
Biography[edit]
Joe Galarza was raised in the El Sereno neighborhood on the east side of Los Angeles. Growing up in an economically-disadvantaged largely Latino community, he was exposed to a lot of gang violence, crime, and drug abuse.[2] As a result, he became an educator for at-risk youth, and teaches art at correctional facilities and community centers.[3] In 2008, he led a mural workshop with high school students on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for their Death to Meth campaign.[4] He collaborated with Tongva Native elder, Julia Bognay, to create murals on the Pitzer College campus to acknowledge indigenous land and stories.[5] He has worked with the Ventura County Arts Council to lead mural workshops for the elementary schools and for their Art & Youth justice program.[6][7] In 2016, Galarza along with artist Jose Baltazar, created one of the 31 angel statues for the California Community Foundation’s 100 years of service to Los Angeles County public art display.[8] Galarza has also taught art at University of Redlands, Pitzer College, and Self-Help Graphics. Along with artist and scholar Marisol L. Torres, he formed the art collective Arte Toltecaytol.[9] He is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates paintings, murals, sculptures, music, and musical instruments. Galarza is best known for being a member of the award-winning Chicano rap band, Aztlan Underground which has toured internationally and has opened for large acts such as Rage Against the Machine.[2]
Arte Toltecaytol[edit]
ArteToltecaytol is an artist collective founded by Joe Galarza and Marisol L. Torres.[9] The collective has created murals and led arts workshops throughout southern California. They were commissioned by Academia Semillas del Pueblo Xinaxcalmecac, an Indigenous Mexican public charter school in East Los Angeles, to create a mural program for the school titled, “Tonacayotl” which means "fruits of the land/sustenance" and features various Indigenous gods.[10]
Exhibitions[edit]
Genetic Wind Songs is a solo online exhibition and performance space created by Joe Galarza to showcase the negative effects of colonization in the Americas including erosion of Indian American culture and death to the people.[11] In November 2020, Joe Galarza performed as Genetic Wind Songs of Truth and Revolt at Rio Hondo College in East Los Angeles.[12]
Artworks[edit]
2019 Channel Islands University Mural at University Hall - Lead artist for Michele Serros Mural[13]
2019 Redlands University Mural for Think Indian Program - Lead artist/muralist in collaboration with Desert Sage[14]
2019 Camp Rocky Juvenile Hall - Lead Artist for Mural with Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory[15]
2018 Self-Help Graphics - Lead Artist For 100 Year Anniversary of LA Philharmonic/Ciclavia and Day of The Dead ceremony[3]
2018 Camp Rockey Juvenile Detention Center Mural with AIYN/ Armory Center for the Arts[16]
2018 Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall - Compound Mural - Lead Artist with youth serving life sentence
2017 Pitzer College Mural - Lead muralist[17]
1998 Monte Vista Elementary School Mural - "Tonantzin" in collaboration with Daniel Cervantes and Ozomatli[18]
Arts Activism[edit]
2019 Homeboy Industries - Inter-generational trauma informed art workshop[19]
2016 Camp Scott - Juvenile Detention Center mural workshop[20]
2014 Youth Action Party and Mendocino County Youth Project Muralist Instructor for Native Pomo youth project[21]
2012 Migrant Education Program, 1st Street Elementary School Art & Drawing Instructor
References[edit]
- ^ Gonzalez, Martha (2020). Chican@ Artivistas: Music, Community, and Transborder Tacitcs in East Los Angeles. University of Texas Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 9781477321393.
- ^ a b "JoeGalarza - Professional, General Artist | DeviantArt". www.deviantart.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ a b "About the Artist". LA Phil. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ Fischer, Emily (May 10, 2008). "Death to Meth Brings Drug Free Message to Youths". Rapid City Journal.
- ^ "Tongva elder Julia Bogany shares the significance behind Joe Galarza's Tongva Mural at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. | Santa Barbara Today". santabarbara.today. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ "VCAC Partners with Local Business Owners to Create Art Display on Victoria Ave. off the 101 Freeway in Ventura | Ventura County Arts Council". Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Ventura County Arts Council". Alliance for California Traditional Arts. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "California Community Foundation Unveils We Are Los Angeles Public Art Exhibit in Honor of Foundation's Centennial". California Community Foundation. 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ a b artetoltecayotl (2009-09-14). "Arte Toltecayotl". Arte Toltecayotl. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ Palmieri, Angela (2016-07-07). "Indigenous Murals in Schools". Māori-to-Español: A Cultural Pedagogy Site for Spanish Bilingual Educators. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Genetic Windsongs, 3818 Drysdale Ave, Los Angeles, CA (2021)". www.findglocal.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "Cultural Events 2020-2021". Rio Hondo College. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Michele Serros Collection - Channel Magazine - CSU Channel Islands". www.csuci.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ "New campus mural highlights Native American history | University of Redlands". Redlands. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Cartoons and Cereal - The Superhero Me Edition". us10.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ "Armory Helps Incarcerated Teen Girls Create a Mural in Santa Clarita » Armory Center for the Arts". www.armoryarts.org. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Pitzer Community Mural "Decolonizes Academic Space"". The Student Life. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ Macias, Martin Jr. (2018-11-16). "LA Neighborhood Looks to Preserve Cultural – and Culinary – Identity". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "Homeboy Art Academy". Homeboy Industries. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ Radio, Southern California Public (2016-06-10). "Artists step in to reimagine spaces for juvenile offenders". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Youth Action Party". mcyp.org. Retrieved 2021-05-12.