Guest Curator Carol Marie Garcia, a Hayward native, is a committed visual artist and art educator, established her own school of art in 1975 to teach the two-dimensional arts to children and adults, beginners and professionals. She has an undergraduate degree in Art, Psychology and Religious Studies and a masters in Religion (M.A.R) from Yale University Divinity School in Christianity and the Visual Arts, with an emphasis in Liturgical Art. She has exhibited throughout the Northeast, in Chicago, and in California.

Juan R. Fuentes (San Francisco) was raised in labor camps in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. A teacher and director of Mission Grafica at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco, he has created many political posters and was honored by the California Society of Printmakers in 2004. His wife, Michelle Mouton, and his son-in-law, Paul Smith, contributed to the making of this ofrenda.

Jaime Guerrero (Alameda), a first-generation Mexican American, uses glass art to express his views on culture and to scrutinize the ways in which heritage continues to inspire us. Much of his recent work looks at how products of pop culture have infiltrated our public psyche, engendering new dialogues and meanings. Guerrero received the 2006 Saxe Fellowship Award from Bay Area Glass Institute for outstanding artistic achievement.

Todd Herman (San Francisco) is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker. With his wife, Amanda Coslor, he co-directs The Dancing Tree, an alliance of visual and performing artists to perform and document stories of under-represented people. He is the editor of In Passing: A Book About Death, a chronicle of death, dying and grieving. Todd also co-directs Life Like Films, a documentary film collaborative, with Francis Kohler.

Fernando Hernandez (Hayward) was born in Mexico City. He immigrated to California in 1986 and settled in Hayward. He has exhibited surrealist mixed media sculptures throughout the Western states. An educator and artist, Hernandez organized the collaborative installations “The Columbarium,” which involve artists and students in an annual celebration of the Day of the Dead.

Bea Carrillo Hocker (San Lorenzo), formerly Associate Curator of Education at the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, is now a consultant specializing in Mexican art and culture. She has been guest curator for six of the Oakland Museum of California’s previous Días de los Muertos exhibitions.

Calixto Robles (San Francisco) is a painter, printmaker and sculptor originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. His work is inspired by the myths, symbols, colors and ancient traditions of Mesoamerica. Robles has shown his artwork in San Francisco, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Paris and Havana. He teaches silkscreen and is a member of the California Society of Printmakers.

Joe Bastida Rodriguez (Milpitas), a native Texan, is a painter and a sculptor. Rodriguez began his undergraduate studies in drawing and sculpture in Florence, Italy, then received his BA degree from Dominican College, Huston, and his MFA from San Jose State University. Rodriguez’s works are in numerous private collections and have been exhibited throughout the US.

Herminia Albarran Romero (San Francisco) learned the art of papel picado (Mexican paper cutting) as a child growing up in the village of San Francisco de Asis, south of Mexico City. She moved to the Mission District of San Francisco in 1981 where she continues to practice and to teach her art. In 2005, she received the NEA National Heritage Award honoring folk artists for contributions to our national character.

Deborah Rumer (San Mateo) is a printmaker and mixed media artist. A Bay Area native, she has taught drawing and printmaking at College of San Mateo for more than 30 years. Her current studio work explores the theme “Altared Spaces,” employing a variety of media including collage, handmade books and personal shrines. Annually she and her family set a home ofrenda.

Wende Stitt (Santa Cruz) is a mother, quilter, Hawaiian kapa (fabric) maker, and for the past 26 years a visual display artist in the San Francisco Bay Area. A student of quilts and their makers, Stitt developed a respect for women who worked long days, cared for families, and yet managed to find time to create beautiful quilts. With her children in college, Stitt has renewed her passion for quilt making.

Kay Weber (San Francisco) has mastered the intricate art of paper-cutting (papel picado). Born in Hamburg, Germany, he graduated in 1986 from the University of Hamburg with an MFA in Fine Art. In 1994 he moved to San Francisco where he became part of ArtSpan, actively involved with the Art for City Youth Program and San Francisco Open Studios. In 2003 Sen. Jackie Speier awarded him for inspiring and mentoring youth in the Tenderloin neighborhood by developing their creativity and self-esteem through art.

Jana Weston (Carmel) is a mixed-media artist. A granddaughter of renowned photographer Edward Weston, she was born in the Carmel Highlands of California. Her artwork is particularly inspired by Días de los Muertos celebrations. She creates sculptural tributes to her bohemian family using paint, beads, medical skull models, old family photographs, and a fountain pen.

Sandra Yagi (San Francisco) has a passion for painting, drawing—art-making of all kinds—as a way to explore aspects of the human condition. Raised in suburban Denver, Colorado, in a typical middle-class family, she started drawing at age four on any material that she could find, including the pages of her mother’s Buddhist prayer book. She pursues her passion for art while juggling working hours in the corporate world.

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For information, call 510/238-2200 or visit www.museumca.org.

© 2005 Oakland Museum of California | Credits |Phone: 510-238-2200