All the Glory at La Gloria

Art Review of Una Noche de La Gloria -

"All the Glory at La Gloria"

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

“All the Glory of La Gloria”

by Gabriel Diego Delgado

-San Antonio, TX,  Guadalupe Avenue on San Antonio’s West side will be abuzz with an eclectic mix of artists, musicians, poets, fashion designers, actors, models, low-riders, art patrons and appreciators, spectators and the like; all supporting the one-night artist initiated cultural arts festival called Una Noche De La Gloria.

In its third year “La Gloria,” as its been coined, is an “ambitious professional development and economic stimulus strategy for artists and performers; which strives to foster the collecting of local and regionally produced fine art via an exposition environment and the discovery of contemporary performance artists via music, film, and literature”, says Co-Founder, Artistic Director and Community Organizer Gabriel Quintero Velasquez. As a venue to see local art, hear a wide variety of music, listen to poets, engage in artistic dialogues, see models on fashion runways, and buy locally made crafts, La Gloria has it all. Sponsored by District 5 Councilman David Medina, Jr. and District 1 Councilman Diego M. Bernal, Citibank, N. A., CALO (The Contemporary Art and Literature Organization), The San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, Alamo Federal Credit Union, Westside Development Corporation, Our Lady of the Lake University, Mi Tierra Café and Panaderia, and many others, La Gloria has grown exponentially since its inception in 2008.

One of those supporters, Citibank, N. A. has been on board with Velasquez and La Gloria since the beginning. Mark Nerio, Citibank’s personal La Gloria cheerleader and Citi Community Development attaché, has continued to maintain a strong bond with the La Gloria Board and is always eager to discuss Citibank’s dedication and investment in San Antonio’s Westside community. Nerio says the anticipation for La Gloria in the Citibank family starts a few months prior to the October 8 event with an in-house La Gloria sponsorship kickoff celebration at the Las Palmas Citibank branch, where artwork is on display, representatives from the artistic community are invited to speak, and Velasquez along with other board members are on hand to help promote the event.

 “These marketing and promotional celebrations, usually in July, draw crowds of about 100-150 supporters,” said Nerio. One thing that makes this sponsorship unique for Citibank is its role of community support. Not only is a financial based partnership, but, Nerio is adamant about Citibank’s sincere understanding of the Westside community; with a stake in the community’s success and prosperity. He maintains an honorable thesis that not only is Citibank supporting the Arts, but the success of their approach to La Gloria is a supporting of the arts coupled with more important support of individual business people who happen to be artists, musicians, poets, fashion designers, etc. Nerio goes on to say the beauty of Citibank’s effort spans the spectrum of the artistic gamut while supporting the vibrant and colorful San Antonio Creative Economy.

One of the definitive leading artists in this year’s La Gloria can be found in the Guadalupe Arts Complex Progresso Building, visual Fine Art Artist Elizabeth Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, a third year student at the Our Lady of the Lake University, will be showcasing a body of work that is primarily portraits of the Westside Community and particularly, Guadalupe Avenue’s ominous street life. Rodriguez said she observes the people around her. She uses her art as a record of events, documenting the everyday “going-ons” of her environment; reflecting on those living in the shadows- like the prostitutes she sees every day or the often disenfranchised waitresses at the local taqueria.

When asked if she sees her art as a celebration of the West side, her comment is “no”, I accept it (the community) and live with it”. Having grew up only five blocks south of where she resides now on Guadalupe Street by Zarzamora Ave., her familiarity with the neighborhood has helped her capture the true essence of its people. The centerpiece of the La Gloria Press Preview at the Museo Alameda included Rodriguez’s works titled “Elivia”, a photorealist portrait of Elivia (last name unknown), the waitress at Mi Tierra Restaurant in Market Square; a painting glorifying this food service worker in a Chuck Close-esque manner with an artistic call out to every superficial blemish and character imperfection. Her other works on exhibit at La Gloria 2011 will include two additional portraits, one of Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark, a national scholar on Latino Studies, and the other portraying Maria Felix, the famous Mexican actress.

In addition to these monumental tributes, Rodriguez hopes to capture the audience’s undivided attention with a small series of paintings influenced by the “colorful life on Guadalupe Street”. Having noticed a particular female walking up and down Guadalupe Street at all times of the day, Rodriguez befriended this transient and used this stranger’s illegal propositioning as an artistic and educational window into the relentless and dire situation of prostitution. Photographing this female at different times of the day, Rodriguez used these visual cues and references to create a body of work consisting of five individual portraits of this charismatic individual as she solicits her clientele.

In the Fashion World, one’s homage to an ethnic culture plays a large role in the creative application of visual aesthetics. No one knows better than the La Gloria Fashionista, Pablo Rosalez of MUA Sarita, Hair. His contribution to this year’s La Gloria events is a catwalk performance titled: “The Art of an Image”. Rosalez says “The Art of an Image is all about the many artists working together to create the impact of the final image”, in this case the full effect of Latino inspired performance, fashion, hair, and make-up. Using clothes and hairstyles to reflect a particularly historic fashion era, Rosalez is working with the Lacy Topaz Vintage Archive Collection to mix Latino influences with a vibrant cross cultural mix of Contemporary Chic. Utilizing over a three block radius of Guadalupe Street, La Gloria will showcase various other cultural aspects like the low-rider car gauntlet; a car culture that uses their trunks as mobile galleries, emphasizing their artistic expressions around family, cars, heritage, Mexico and Texas. Utilizing the outdoor amphitheater, La Gloria’s musical bill includes an assortment of San Antonio Flavor, followed by a much anticipated performance by the regionally renowned Cumbia and Salsa All-stars, Bombasta. Having something for everyone, Una Noche De La Gloria is a one-night affair which surely cannot be missed. Come on out and support the local artistic community from 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. Saturday, October 8, 2011. Free and open to the public.

Visit www.lagloriaarts.com for more details.

© Gabriel Diego Delgado