Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2003 Media Contacts: Maggie R. Pico 510/642-3683 mpico@uclink.berkeley.edu Nicole Mullen 510/643-7649 nmullen@uclink.berkeley.edu HECHO EN MÉXICO: MEXICAN FOLK ART - February 5 through June 27, 2004 Berkeley, CA - The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology announces the new exhibition, Hecho en México: Mexican Folk Art, on view to the public from February 5 through June 27, 2004. The exhibit is based on a recent exhibition organized by the San Diego Museum of Man. As a point of departure, the Hearst Museum presentation is organized geographically to focus on craft production and commerce in the Central and West Central regions and the Yucatan Peninsula to the East, in order to show the cultures, traditions, and trends that have influenced the production and popularity of Mexican arts and crafts. Through this survey, museum visitors will have an opportunity to explore the diversity of folk art across Mexico. Second only to oil, tourism is a powerful economic force in Mexico. With the growth of the travel industry, crafts have become an important source of income for the country, especially as the rural population becomes marginalized economically. The relatively simple technology and low capitalization needed for craft production encourages its development as an alternative source of employment. Artists live in both urban areas and villages, often working part-time as craftsmen while spending the majority of their time performing the necessary activities of daily life. In a trend towards mechanization and homogenization, folk art is disappearing in many countries. In Mexico, however, folk art is an integral part of contemporary culture. An estimated eight percent of the population, or one in twelve, depend on the production and sale of folk art. Today there are over 50 institutions and official agencies that promote folk art in Mexico. -more- Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology Hecho en México: Made in Mexico – pg 2 The objects in Hecho en México: Mexican Folk Art come entirely from the San Diego Museum of Man's collection, and they were acquired through a variety of sources, including a major gift from the Mexican Government and subsequent acquisitions facilitated by Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT). While the Hearst Museum imposed geographic limitations when selecting items for the show, because of the proliferation of craft production in each state, the exhibit offers an appealing overview of the artistic traditions that would be encountered while traveling throughout the country. Hecho en México includes a variety of woven and embroidered items, basketry, several styles of pottery, lacquerware, glassware, wood carving, copper, tin work and tin paintings, paper mâché and clay sculptures, as well as masks in a range of media. While the majority of items in the exhibit were made from the 1940s forward, the oldest item, a copper bowl from Michoacán, dates back 1850. The most recent items are basketry animals and birds from Quintana Roo made in 2002. According to Hearst Museum Director Douglas Sharon, “With this traveling exhibition from San Diego, the Hearst Museum of Anthropology is kicking off a year of exhibits devoted to the arts and crafts of Mexico. We expect the presentation to have broad appeal with Bay Area museumgoers.” Hecho en México: Mexican Folk Art at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology is on view to the public from February 5 through June 27, 2004 and is accompanied by a series of public programs and regular docent tours. PUBLIC PROGRAMS All programs are held at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, 103 Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way at College Avenue, Berkeley Mexican Folk Art - Thursday, February 26, 12-1 pm A lunchtime gallery talk by Stanley Brandes, UC Berkeley professor of socio-cultural anthropology. Admission is free. The Fourth World and Folk Art - Thursday, March 18, 12-1pm A lunchtime gallery talk with Nelson Graburn, UC Berkeley anthropology professor and Hearst Museum curator of North American ethnology. Admission is free. -more- Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology Hecho en México: Made in Mexico – pg 3 PUBLIC PROGRAMS continued The Impact of Tourism on Yucatec Folk Art - Sunday, April 4, 2 pm A gallery talk with Javier Guerrero, senior curator at the San Diego Museum of Man. Free with museum admission. The Niche of Mexican Folk Art - Thursday, April 29, 12-1pm A lunchtime gallery talk with Grace Johnson, curator of Latin American ethnography at the San Diego Museum of Man. Admission is free. Family Day - The World in My Neighborhood - Sunday, June 6, 1-4 pm An afternoon of arts and crafts, demonstrations, and music from a variety of Bay Area cultural communities. Children admitted free. Adults admitted with paid museum admission. MUSEUM INFORMATION Museum Location: The Museum is located in Kroeber Hall at the corner of Bancroft Way and College Avenue on the UC Berkeley campus. Campus is served by the following AC Transit bus routes: 7, 40, 51, 52, 64. The Museum is a 15-minute walk east from the Berkeley BART station. Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission: $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $1 for students age 13 and above; free admission to Museum members, UCB students, faculty, and staff, children 12 and under; free to all on Thursdays. For more information, call 510/643-7648 or visit http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology houses the oldest and largest collection of anthropological materials of any museum west of Chicago. Founded in 1901 by Phoebe Apperson Hearst, the Museum’s holdings are especially rich in the areas of ancient Egypt, preColumbian Peru, Native California, Arctic, Africa, and Oceania. Located at the University of California at Berkeley, the Hearst Museum of Anthropology serves the campus community, Bay Area students, and the general public through exhibitions, educational programs, and research opportunities that promote understanding of the history and diversity of human cultures. CREDITS Hecho en México: Mexican Folk Art was curated for the Hearst Museum presentation by Director Douglas Sharon and is based on an exhibition of the same name, organized by the San Diego Museum of Man in 2002. The Hearst Museum exhibition is made possible in part by a generous gift from Professor Emeritus George M. Foster and by the annual support of the museum's donors and members. IMAGES Available upon request or visit our website to download a press kit at: http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/media/press.html ####