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Amalia MesaBains

Posted on Nov 03, 2005

Dr. Amalia Mesa-Bains to participate in Kahlo conference

Dr. Amalia Mesa-Bains, co-chair of the Department of Visual and Public Art at CSUMB, has been invited to London to participate in a conference on Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

The Tate Modern -- one of four galleries that display selections from the Tate Collection -- will host the event Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in conjunction with a major exhibit of Kahlo's work that has been on display there this summer.

Kahlo (1907-1954) is now regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Her identity, seen through her art and life, resonates powerfully throughout contemporary culture. She has become an icon for many, as one of the few widely recognized female artists and as an image of Mexico. Kahlo has had an impact across fine art, design, film, fashion and cultural theory. The conference brings together artists, historians and curators from the U.S., Mexico and Europe to look at the genealogy and nature of the Kahlo phenomenon.

Dr. Mesa-Bains is an artist and cultural critic. Her work, primarily interpretations of traditional Chicano altars, resonates both in contemporary formal terms and in its ties to her community and history. As an author of scholarly articles and a nationally known lecturer on Latino art, she has enhanced understanding of multiculturalism and reflected major cultural and demographic shifts in the United States.

Among her many awards is a 1992 Distinguished MacArthur Fellowship. She is a former commissioner of arts for the city of San Francisco.

For more information on Dr. Bains, visit https://vpa.csumb.edu/faculty/mesa_bains.htm

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