Sixto-Juan Zavala - Mexic-Arte Museum

Window wrap vinyl cling artwork installed on the facade of Mexic-Arte Museum

In its 21st year, the Young Latino Artists (YLA) exhibition has historically provided emerging Latinx artists with professional-level museum experience and exposure. Guest curated by David “Shek” Vega, YLA 21: Amexican@ focuses on Latinx artists who grew up as part of the millennial generation. The art in the exhibition reflects an inner dialogue that resonates with the artists' Latinx upbringing, nostalgia, the influence of the digital age, and the current cultural climate in the United States. The '@' symbol in the title replaces the 'a' or 'o' feminine/masculine in the Spanish language. When referring to a group one would traditionally say 'Latino' even if the majority of the group were female. To counter the patriarchal nature of the language, the usage of the '@' sign has gained popularity (as well as replacing the 'a'/'o' with the genderless 'x'). The '@' also references the symbols common presence in digital media, from emails to Instagram handles.

Bilingual wall text with mounted rack cards and information booklet

The gold and cool grey colour palette was based off two prominent artworks in the exhibition: Larry Servin's light installation with a gold painted background and Essentials Creative's black and white photography (used in the window wrap and promotional graphics). The logo design referenced reoccurring geometric typographic forms in many of the pieces with a subtle nod to Native American glyphs. The logo was designed to pair well with the Museum's brand geometric sans-serif typeface of Futura. The '@' sign was used as a stylised icon in promotion and merchandise.

Photo by Chris Caselli

“We are Mexican, we are American, we are the creation of Amexican@.”
– David “Shek” Vega, Guest Curator

Photo by Chris Caselli

Opening reception, Photo by Krystal Malloy

Opening reception photo of artists by Krystal Malloy

The rack card was laser printed in-house on Neenah Astrobright paper

Custom button designs, Right photo by Krystal Malloy

Social booth photos

Mexic-Arte Museum

Young Latino Artists 21: Amexican@

Exhibition

Guest Curator: David “Shek” Vega

Executive Director: Sylvia Orozco
Curator of Exhibitions & Programs: Rebecca Gomez
Membership & Marketing Associate: Adrian Orozco
Lead Preparator: Andrew Anderson
Development Associate: Caity Shaffer
Education Coordinator: Olivia Tamzarian
Education Associate: Natalia Rodriguez

Store Manager: Daniel Cobos