For Immediate Release

Contact:
Selina Chi, Executive Director
ELAC Foundation
323-265-8610

East Los Angeles College Foundation
Raúl Anguiano Mural

Congresswoman Hilda Solis to Attend
First Brushstroke Ceremony August 29, 2001

MONTEREY PARK, California, August 28, 2001 - East Los Angeles College (ELAC) has commissioned noted Mexican artist Raúl Anguiano to paint a mural in the foyer of the Ingalls Auditorium/Edison Center for the Performing Arts. Sponsored by the ELAC Foundation, the mural is an autobiographical vision of Anguiano's distinguished career as a member of the circle of the most prominent Mexican artists of the 20th century. A ceremony to celebrate the "first brush stroke" will be held Wednesday, August 29, 2001, at 1:00 p.m. in the Edison Center Auditorium.

Born in 1915 in Guadalajara, Anguiano's traditional figurative imagery has grown to embrace vivid color with a clear link to his Mexican heritage. He belonged to the "Third Generation" of post-revolutionary painters, and was contemporary of Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera. The ELAC mural will be the largest of his career, depicting the evolution of Mexican art from the golden period of the Mayan culture to the 20th century. Other Anguiano murals are located in Jalisco, Jamaica, Guanajuato, and Mexico City. The artist's work has been featured in more than 100 shows throughout the world and numerous pieces are in the permanent collection of museums in New York, Beijing, Mexico City, and the Vatican.

Community members, college faculty and the ELAC Foundation members will join Congresswoman Hilda Solis and ELAC President, Ernest Moreno, at the dedication ceremony this Wednesday. "Raúl Anguiano is an artist who is devoted to education and has a genuine love for the community", says ELAC President Ernest Moreno. "Commissioning this mural continues the college's commitment to bring art to our community. We see the Anguiano mural as a centerpiece to the performing arts auditorium that hosts free performances for area schools and the public."

The Edison Center for the Performing Arts was funded by a generous grant from Southern California Edison. It is located within the Rosco C. Ingalls Auditorium. The Edison Center has hosted free performances for more than 14,000 area school and community organizations. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dance Theater of Harlem, and theater productions presented by the Mark Taper Forum Touring program are among the many events held at the college.

Funding for the Anguiano mural project has been made possible through the support of the East Los Angeles College Foundation. Dr. Richard Zapanta and his wife Rebecca, will CO-chair the project. The Foundation supports the college by generating scholarships and other activities to benefit ELAC.

East Los Angeles College offers comprehensive art, music, and theater programs. Students will have the opportunity to observe Anguiano as the mural develops. An estimated 30,000 students from local elementary and high schools will be invited to observe the progress of the mural and tour the campus art departments.

Events surrounding the mural project will include a historical perspective of Raúl Anguiano's life and an exhibition of original drawings, lithographs, and paintings in ELAC's Vincent Price Gallery. A black-tie gala will celebrate the completion of the mural project in Spring 2002.