2006 Chicano Art Calendar

[ "Aztec" Calendar cover art by Dolores Gonzales Haro. ]

The twelve artists represented in the 2006 Año Tochtli Chicano Calendar include some of our culture's luminaries, and some of our young hands. You’ll immediately recognize a style here, a signature there, as you turn the pages. The line up of artists includes Gilbert "Magu" Lujan, Lalo Alcaraz, Mark Vallen, Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, Dolores Gonzalez Haro, Sergio Hernandez, Guillermo Bejarano, Domingo Rodriguez, Alexander Suriano, Linda Vallejo, RuthAnne Tarletz de Molina and Ernest M. Saenz.

Frida Kahlo once said, "I paint my own reality." She was asserting that she painted her interpretation of what she saw around her. Today, Frida’s words have taken on a new meaning for the group of Chicano Artists who came together to produce a calendar that is a tribute to Chicano Art. The Año Tochtli (Year of the Rabbit) 2006 calendar project is led by Chicano artist, Ernest M. Saenz, who says that recent activities targeting Chicano Art in several communities inspired him to respond by initiating the development of the calendar and other artistic projects that proclaim and celebrate the value of Chicano Art and culture. Saenz adds, "They are seizing and closing our cultural centers, invading our communities to demand that our monuments be taken down and insulting our culture. Chicanos are Americans; what makes us different from other Americans is our Chicano experience. To stop us from expressing that experience is to deny our contributions to the essence and substance of the American culture."

Assisted by pioneering political cartoonist Serge Hernandez, Saenz brought together a diverse group of Chicano artists who want to "paint their own reality" in the sense of nurturing our cultural expression and not letting it be diluted, nor extinguished, by those who fear multiculturalism and healthy diversity. The Año Tochtli 2006 project is more than just a calendar; it’s a political statement that Chicano culture does not wither in the face of opposition, but flourishes and grows stronger and ever more determined to spread its messages of self-respect, joy, and cultural awareness.

Individuals can purchase their copy of the Año Tochtli 2006 Calendar from www.0101aztlan.net. Shops, bookstores, galleries and other retailers can purchase the Calendar wholesale through its publisher, www.floricantopress.com.