Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River
, 974 3770
www. cityofaustin.org / macc
, 974 3770
www. cityofaustin.org / macc
myths in Mesoamerica, there are several versions of the origin of maize from which account the creation of man sculpted mass to explaining how a god transformed into an ant to find the corn. Each version traces the paths taken by the allegorical characters and the transformation of humanity that occurs with the help of one of the most striking and significant food history and cultura: el maíz.
Como es que una sola planta haya dominado la historia de las Américas y como es que continua afectando un pueblo siempre más moderno?
Mathew Looper scholar suggests that thanks to the marked male organs (the hair) and female (ear) of corn, there is, in many cultures especially the Mayan, a veneration of androgen aspect of the plant. Corn, but also mimics cyclic female fertility and the spread of human male and also represents the continuation of essential humanity in the universe. The significance of this plant has permeated the visual history, religious, and nutrition in the Americas and remains relevant today as an example of how the past collides with the present.
En México, el precio de la tortilla subió por casi el doble-- algo que causo un remolino económico y alimenticio en las familias durante el 2007. Como la tortilla sigue siendo la base de la dieta mexicana, este fenómeno económico afecto al pueblo, especialmente a los pobres. Marietta Bernstorff creó y lanzó la primera exhibición intitulada “El Maíz es Nuestra Vida” que reunió a veintiocho mujeres residentes de Oaxaca, Mexico. The exhibition's purpose was to discuss these current issues and initiate a visual protest. The success of this collaboration has evolved and left more exhibitions in Mexico City, Cuba, Vancouver, and San Diego - each with a unique curatorial vision, but always with the same focus of exploration in visual form the magnitude of the influence it has had and continues to corn.
In this exhibition, I have selected artists offer a range of personal interpretation. From the point of view of control and storytelling, these discourses linking artists such as nutrition, renewal and rebirth, with a juxtaposition of natural and digital. Each entry identifies the cyclical aspect of corn and discusses the characteristics of the process and the steps needed to promote environmental awareness. Iconographic messages vary, but this group creates artistic voices eternal conversation about education and the appreciation of the pervasive role of corn in our society.
Claudia Zapata
-Curator of The Corn Is Our Life, Austin, TX