Press Release: La Sala is Cooking Up ‘La Cocina’
La Sala is Cooking Up ‘La Cocina:’ Stirring Up the Future of Latino/a/x Arts in Seattle
July 20, 2016
Address: La Sala Presents La Cocina, 702 First Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Hours: La Cocina will be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in August from noon to 5pm.
Contact: Lauren Davis, media coordinator for La Cocina lauren@artxchange.org | 206-538-8466
http://www.lasalapresentslacocina.com
Image“La Cocina,” original drawing by Seattle street artist Angelina Villalobos a.k.a. 179
La Sala: Latino/a/x Artists’ Network, a volunteer collective of artists and advocates for Latino/a/x arts, announces the opening of La Cocina, a Seattle Art Fair satellite exhibit and month long Latino/a/x Artists’ Salon in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Opening on First Thursday, August 4, 2016, La Cocina will serve as a gallery, theatre, presentation space, and arts incubator for some of Puget Sound’s most dynamic Latino/a/x artists.
“La Cocina” (the kitchen) is a place where people congregate to share the latest news and delight in the aromas of both age-old recipes and new culinary creations. A space that is intensely social and expressive, La Cocina offers visual artists, dancers, musicians, actors, writers, and poets the opportunity to create and present new art to Seattle audiences. La Cocina will pop up in Pioneer Square, at the Good Arts Building (702 1st Ave South) for the month of August. La Cocina artists are cooking up new work across artistic disciplines and traditions, drawing on the rich African, Indigenous and European elements that shape contemporary Latino/a/x identities. La Cocina writer-in-residence, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, (professor of Modern Languages, Women’s and Gender Studies at Seattle University), will welcome visitors to the gallery space every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in August from noon to 5pm.
Events include:
Thursday August 4, from 5-9pm: La Cocina Grand Opening, featuring contemporary visual art by the next generation of Latino/a/x artists from Puget Sound, curated by artist Amaranta Ibarra-Sandys. Ten participating artists present sculpture, painting, photography, and an altar installation by multidisciplinary artist, Kū (Rafael/a Luna-Pizano).
Friday August 5, 7-9pm: Cutting edge performance art and music by contemporary Latino/a/x artists, organized by artist Xavier Lopez, Jr. and Vicente Montanez.
Saturday August 6, 7-9pm: An evening of poetry curated by Catalina Cantu and Wendy Call, featuring the poetry of Seattle Civic Poet Claudia Castro Luna and music curated by percussionist Antonio Gómez and Trio Guadalevín.
Saturday August 13, 7-9pm: Artist/Choreographer/Activist Monica Rojas-Stewart fuses dance, words, and music to illuminate the iconic Peruvian poem “Me gritaron negra,” originally written by Victoria Santa Cruz, the mother of Afro-Peruvian dance and theater.
Friday, August 19, 7-9pm: Dramatized readings of poetry by iconic poet Federico García Lorca, directed by Fernando Luna of Latino Theatre Projects.
Saturday August 27, 7-9pm: A dramatized reading of a new theatrical work by local writer José Lumore , directed by Fernando Luna of Latino Theatre Projects.
As well as a diverse range of classes, rehearsals, and events including an herbal healing workshops, visual artist live painting, youth programs, and more.
Why La Cocina? With the past few decades seeing an increase among Latinos in Washington State, a critical mass of Latina/o/x artists are generating new work, contributing to community development and advancing civic and artistic dialogue. Yet, with Latinos making massive contributions to the economy and social fabric of the Northwest, too much of popular imagery revolves around the one-dimensional portrayal of Latinos in popular media and politics.
With an audacious mixture of ingredients and ideas worthy of any kitchen, La Cocina represents a common space among artists diverse in age, gender, national origin and identity - but unified in their affiliation to the Latin American diaspora. From first generation dancers hailing from Mexico and Venezuela, to musicians from Peru and Argentina and third generation American Chicano visual artists, La Cocina challenges Latina/o/x artists to connect with each other and the larger community.
About La Sala: La Sala is a non-profit initiative formed to coalesce and mobilize the growing Latino/Latina arts community of the Puget Sound region. Recognizing the booming diaspora and the scarcity of space, presence and voice for this community, a committed consortium of arts advocates embarked on this empowerment enterprise in 2006, aiming to gather, empower and raise the profile of the region's Latino/Latina artists and artisans.
La Sala is an official cultural partner organization of the Seattle Art Fair, happening from August 4 through August 7, 2016. The La Cocina project is supported by Seattle Foundation and 4Culture, with in-kind support from the Good Arts Building and Alliance for Pioneer Square.