Judy Baca: Danza de la Tierra Mural for the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, TX

Video of the making of Judy Baca's mural Danza de la Tierra.

Danza de La Tierra (Dance of the Earth)
© By Judith F. Baca

In 2008 the Dallas Latino Cultural Center, (designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta), commissioned Judy Baca to paint a mural for the lobby of their 304 seat Oak Farms Dairy Performance Hall. The central theme of this work is dancers in movement. It is a work that incorporates the concept of the dance of life in harmony with the rhythms of the earth. In this work the artist reflects on our human connection to the earth as living creatures and our molecular structure composed of the earth from the concept: All matter that ever was still is."

The work is composed with a series of ellipses using a colorful folkloric dancer's skirt as the grounding for the figures. The Dallas Texas skyline and the Historic Dallas Aqueduct appear on the horizon. The chromatic accordion dance on the ground like a snake and represents the musical Tex-Mex style of Conjunto Music originating in Texas.

Also featured is Legorreta's tower for the Latino Fine Arts Center where the original work is located. In the dancer's dress are iconic Latino Artists: Lydia Mendoza, Las Hermanas Fragas, Luis Jimenez, Santa Barraza, Gloria Anzuldua, Sandra Cisneros, Hermanas Segovia, Tony De La Rosa, Selena, Valeria Longorio, Narciso Martinez, and Rudolfo Anaya.

The work was produced in the UCLA/SPARC Cesar Chavez Digital/Mural Lab at the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) located since 1977 in the Old Venice Police Station at 685 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 310/822-9560 www.sparcmurals.org

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Judy Baca
• SPARC
• Latino Cultural Center
• Dallas