Fresno arts scene gets $1 million, three exhibits from James B. McClatchy Foundation

Fresno’s visual art scene is set to get a $1 million boost thanks to the James B. McClatchy Foundation.

The foundation announced on Tuesday a grant-funded collaborative between the McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment and three area arts organizations — Arte Américas, Fresno Art Museum and the Center for Creativity and the Arts at Fresno State.

“The current pandemic has given us an opportunity to recognize the enduring quality of the arts as a tool to heal, unite and celebrate diversity in our communities,” says Susan McClatchy, co-founder of both MFAE and JBMF.

The money will fund three exhibits, each focusing on “the power of culture” as it relates to the Central Valley.

Said McClatchy: “Our grants to these three remarkable exhibitions will help elevate Fresno as a world-class arts hub by expanding access to newer audiences, curating nationally and globally-renowned exhibitions, and giving visibility to emerging, talented, and culturally relevant artists.”

Fresno State explores LGBTQ+ civil rights and advocacy movements

The Center for Creativity and the Arts at Fresno State will highlight the city’s role in LGBTQ+ civil rights and advocacy movements with ”Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall.”

Originally organized by the Brooklyn Museum of New York to honor the Stonewall Riots in 1969, works from that original exhibition will be coupled with those of west coast artists, all born post-Stonewall, who bring distinct voices heard from LGBTQ+ communities of color.

A speaker series, colloquium and public arts projects are also being planned.

The exhibit will be on display on campus Aug. 19, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2021.

Arte Américas honors Oaxacan immigrants

Arte Américas will feature works from Narsiso Martinez, Dario Canul and Cosijoesa Cernas and others in honor of the 50,000 or so Oaxacan immigrants residing in Central Valley. The exhibit looks to open dialogue on immigration, border politics, food, labor and safety.

“At this challenging time, when so many opportunities and programs have been lost, like a beacon of hope, this support allows us to look to the future with optimism,” says Arte Américas Board President Vivian Velasco Paz. “This support from MFAE will allow us to shine a light on tens of thousands of indigenous people from Oaxaca who contribute so much to the overall economy of the Valley.”

“Boom Oaxaca” will run for five months starting in spring 2022.

High-end, high-impact fashion at Fresno Art Museum

“A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes,” will run July 30, 2022, through Jan. 8, 2023, at the Fresno Art Museum. The exhibition looks at how the feminine experience has been shaped by fashion, exploring symbols of womanhood to challenge conventional ideas of beauty.

For example: Designer Louise Linderoth, who uses a wheelchair, fosters inclusion for those with disabilities by designing garments to be worn from a seated position, giving visibility to different bodies and different postures and allowing the disabled to be represented in the fashion world.

“Fashion is art in motion that speaks to all generations and all cultures. A Queen Within is the type of high end, high impact exhibition that Fresno deserve,” Fresno Art Museum Executive Director, Michele Ellis Pracy said in a release announcing the grants.

About the McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment

The James B. McClatchy Foundation was founded in 1994 by Susan and the late James B. McClatchy to support free speech, freedom of expression, and a free press. Formerly known as the Central Valley Foundation, the nonprofit is not affiliated with the McClatchy Company or McClatchy publications.

The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment fosters, curates and supports art exhibitions of regional, national and international significance in the greater Fresno area. The endowment funded the ultra popular “Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray” show at the Fresno Art Museum in 2017 and brought environmental sculpture artist Patrick Dougherty for a three-week residency at Fresno State in 2013.

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 11:25 AM.