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Self-Help Graphics & Art, Inc. is a community arts center in East Los Angeles, California, USA. Formed during the cultural renaissance that accompanied the Chicano Movement, Self Help, as it is sometimes called, was one of the primary centers that incubated the nascent Chicano art movement, and remains important in the Chicano art movement, as well as in the greater Los Angeles community, today. As a center of culture, SHG also hosts musical and other performances, and organizes Los Angeles's annual Day of the Dead festivities. Throughout its history, the organization has worked with well-known artists in the Los Angeles area such as Los Four and the East Los Streetscapers, but it has focused primarily on training and giving exposure to young and new artists, many of whom have gone on to national and international prominence. ==History== In 1970, the artist and Franciscan nun Karen Boccalero started producing prints in an East Los Angeles garage with Chicano artists Carlos Bueno, Antonio Ibáñez, Frank Hernández, and others. They decided to work together to promote community arts and the work of local artists, to use art as an instrument of social change in the barrio, and to establish a cultural arts center. The artists had their first exhibition the following year at an East Los Angeles shopping center called El Mercado. In 1972, the organization, which until that time went by the name Art Inc., was renamed Self Help Graphics & Art when it found a home in a suite on the third floor of an office building at 2111 Brooklyn Avenue in Boyle Heights. The 2,000 square-foot (186 m2) space was financed by Order of the Sisters of St. Francis, who donated $10,000. The following year, the space was expanded to 9,000 square feet (836 m2) with a grant from the Campaign for Human Development. The first official activity of the organization was an inaugural batik and silkscreen workshop that ended with a group exhibition. Participating artists paid a small fee and provided their own materials. Thus began the Self Help tradition of instructing budding artists in graphic arts techniques. Shortly thereafter, funds provided by the California Arts Council allowed the hiring of artists Peter Tovar, Fernando Amozorrutia,Carlos Bueno,Victor Du Bois,Jeff Gates,Linda Orozco, Jesse Rays, Carla Wbeber,Silvia Chavez,Michael Amescua and Linda Vallejo as arts instructors. It should be noted that the first Day of the Dead Celabration in the USA began in 1974 at SHG. At first, material support for Self Help was scarce. Boccalero raised funds from Beverly Hills art enthusiasts and sought donations from art stores, museums, and Catholic organizations. In 1974, the artists realized that in order to accomplish their goal of creating a permanent home for a community arts center, they would need the support of major institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Boccalero attended grant-writing workshops and hired professional administrative staff, including a bilingual office manager supplied by the American GI Forum's SER-Jobs for Progress. In 1979 Self Help relocated to its former location in a large building on the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue (formerly Brooklyn Avenue) and Gage Street. The building, which is owned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was previously home to the Catholic Youth Organization, which rented space for dances and meetings. Under the terms of the lease, which was renewable every ten years, Self Help was to pay one dollar per year in rent. According to cultural historian Kristen Guzmán, "From () correspondence involving Sister Karen and members of her community, as well as the Franciscan priests of Santa Barbara and Oakland, it is evident that the Church was vital to Self Help's existence in this period".〔Guzmán, 10〕 The former Self Help building contained a gallery, Galería Otra Vez, a printing room, office, studio space for artists-in-residence, and storage areas in two stories. Today the exterior walls of the building are adorned with embedded ceramic pieces, mosaics, and murals. The large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that stood in the parking lot has been relocated to the new building. The mosaic work was done by the late artist Eduardo Oropeza. Boccalero functioned as executive director until her death in 1997, at which point she was succeeded by Tomás Benítez. In May 2005, the artist Gustavo LeClerc became the center's new artistic director, and was charged with broadening Self Help's horizons.〔Hernandez〕 The personnel changes may have been symptoms of larger problems. Benítez stepped down in March 2005 as a financial crisis became public knowledge. On June 7, 2005, the doors of Self Help were locked and the staff was dismissed.〔Vallen〕 The unforeseen nature of the closure evoked an angry reaction from the artists affiliated with the center and the community at large. A series of meetings were held to ensure that the closure was only temporary and to pre-empt any potential future problems resulting from lack of funding or the lack of organizational transparency. Apparently, the trouble started when it was discovered that the building was in need of repairs. Numerous fundraisers were held, including a benefit concert by Ozomatli. But they were not enough to cover the repairs necessary, which raised safety issues for Self Help's workers and liability concerns for the organization. There was the additional complication of the ownership of the building, which still belonged to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Most recently, news became public that Self Help had been sold by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The former owners, the Sisters of Saint Francis, said they asked the Archdiocese to facilitate the sale of the building.〔"Self Help Graphics & Arts bldg. sold" ABC 7, July 11, 2008.〕 Sister Carol Snyder said it became untenable to support a venture that did not make money.〔"East L.A. art center will need a new home" LA Times, July 10, 2008〕 Several attempts were made by Self Help to purchase the building and were rejected by the new owners. It not being financially feasible for the not-for-profit organization to continue paying rent, is was able to secure a new space and in March 2011 moved to 1300 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. The mosaic statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also transported to the new location. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Self Help Graphics & Art」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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