Locolandia Live!
By, Lenin Silva |
| During one of the opening performances at the "Locolandia Live!" event |
On Thursday the 11th of December 2014,
the Crisalida-Arts project, along with College of the Desert’s Mark’s Art
Center, and Riverside County’s Department of Mental Health’s program, “Cup of
Happy,” hosted a night of live poetry, spoken word, and musical performances inspired
by Lalo Alcaraz’s art on display in Palm Desert California at College of the
Desert’s Mark’s Art Center presents “Locolandia Live!”
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| The penultimate spoken word oration recited at the conclusion of "Locolandia Live!" |
The
night’s events began a couple minutes past 6:00P.M. Crisalida-Arts project
Manager, David Gonzalez, was host and master of ceremonies for the night. Dr.
Lisa Soccio, art director and curator of the Marks Art Center, could be seen
fastidiously prepping upcoming performers as Mr. Gonzalez opened the night with
a poem he had prepared for the occasion.
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| People in attendance at "Locolandia Live!" |
About 25 to 30 people were originally
expected, but around the climax of the event there was easily 65 to 80 people
in attendance. From College of the Desert (COD) students, to COD faculty, and
other local students and educators, the audience in attendance was a potpourri
of individuals.
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| A spoken word performance accompanied by electric guitar background music. |
Local artist, and Hip-Hop performers such as RowLow,
and Mario A. Giant were in attendance and highlighted the event with a poem/performance.
Co-Founder of “Teatro de las Chicanas,” Chicana and women’s rights activist
Felicitas Nuñez, also made her way out to
Locolandia and presented a lecture on the yonic symbology of “Our Lady of
Guadalupe” (The Virgin Mary). Ms. Nuñez related the iconoclastic and
syncretistic properties that may be observed in postcolonial Mesoamerican art
such as the incorporation of indigenous culture into colonial (European
influenced) art, in this case The Virgin Mary.
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| A young woman who painted her face in the style of La Calavera Catrina |
There was a 15 minute intermission
where the folks in attendance were welcomed to tour the Mark’s art Gallery and
observe Lalo Alcaraz’s art that was on display there. Mr. Alcaraz was kind
enough to supply College of the Desert with about thirteen original prints of
his syndicated comic strip cartoon “La Cucaracha,” which may be found on the LA
Times Sunday edition, and countless other newspapers across the country.
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| An audience member observing some of Lalo Alcaraz's work during the intermission at "Locolandia Live!" |
Initially the event began with folks
reciting poems, songs, and/or spoken word orations inspired by one of Mr.
Alcaraz’s prints on display at the Marks Art Gallery. As the night concluded
the event turned into an open mic night as folks who wanted to speak but were
not prepared jumped on stage and improvised an oration not necessarily inspired
by Mr. Alcaraz’s art.
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| Master of Ceremonies at "Locolandia Live!" David Gonzalez, closing the night with a poem. |
The concluding moments leading up to
the event’s conclusion resembled a jazzed up 1960’s beatnik poetry reading as
Mr. Gonzalez and two of the other performers (one on an electric guitar, and another playing a
homemade drum set configured out of a rectangular wooden box and steal drum
appendages) closed the night with a call and response type performance with
engaged the audience to become part of the performance. The night concluded
with a spoken word poem accompanied by the guitar player and wooden box
drummer.
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