When describing the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, Congressman Raúl Grijaliva once said, “there’s a presence there.” In the project Viva El Pueblo I give that presence a face. By taking inspiration from the Chicano and post-Chicano art movements—specifically from artist David Tineo—I create images that mix history and symbolism together. In doing so, I am able to tell the story of El Pueblo while also looking into its future. 

Each image in this project was developed from oral and written histories of El Pueblo combined with visual inspiration from the artworks and murals of David Tineo, and in its premiere installation at El Pueblo, it will be accompanied by a curated playlist of audio materials. One specific mural Gentes Unidas–Nuestra Raza (1979) that Tineo worked on with Danny Garza, which graces the northside of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, features a figure with outstretched arms. I interpret this mural as a welcome sign to the community. In the image Like Monarchs, I use a similar pose along with monarch butterflies to represent people being drawn to and welcomed into the space that is El Pueblo. My photograph Like Monarchs welcomes you to view the other images in the project Viva El Pueblo and explore the history and personality of the center. 

An invaluable source of inspiration for my project is the work of David Tineo. Using Tineo’s art and murals as a study in Chicano and post-Chicano art, I found a particular interest in his work due to the dominant presence of his mural Gentes Unidas–Nuestra Raza (1979), which he produced in collaboration with Danny Garza, at the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. This led me to explore and study many of his murals around Tucson and his artwork featured in the Tucson Museum of Art exhibition catalog Viva David Tineo!: A Retrospective of Tucson’s Muralist and Art Educator (2010). Special thanks also to my family, including Jasmin Wolff, Alex Arias, Emilio Arias, Mia Portela, Octavio Peru, Cheyanne Martinez, Mina Wolff, and Tony Wolff, who posed for my images and helped me behind the scenes of each photograph. Finally, I would like to acknowledge leaders and community members, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Raúl E. Aguirre, Richard Barker, Nancy Johnson, Anna Sanchez, and Becki Quintero, whose words about El Pueblo and its community are at the center of my project.