Xicana Tag

Inktober 12 – Aurora Guerrero

 Aurora Guerrero is a Xicana filmmaker from San Francisco who started working in film in the mid 2000’s. She went to school at UC berkeley and began assisting or working as a PA while she made short films. She then developed her first narrative feature film, the groundbreaking film Mosquita y Mari which explored a romance, attraction, and friendship between two young women who were Multilingual, multicultural and Xicana as well. Since the success of this film she’s gone on to direct for TV shows such as Fly and Queen Sugar. On a personal note, I got to meet some of the crew who worked on #mosquitaymari and they beamed w/admiration for Aurora and her film. Once I saw it I understood why. We need more women of color directing films and tv! Can’t wait to see what story she develops next. 



Sources: Remezcla,IMDb, IndieWire 

Want this original drawing? $60 or Print? $20 (includes shipping)  
Got an idea for an org to donate 30% cost to? Email me info@robdontstop.com

Who is She? 28 – Yolanda Lopez

Yolanda Lopez is a Xicana artist from San Diego, California. She was born in 1942 and came to San Francisco in the late 60s around the time of some serious social movements with the Panthers, recent the United Farm Workers, and the SF State strike to put in ethnic studies in the school (which she was involved in). The first time I saw Yolanda’s work as a painter it was “La Virgin” piece that she did of a woman running with a flag using the same backdrop as the famous “Virgin de Guadalupe”. This painting was part of a series depicting every day women of color and it hit because there were not many artists depicting brown women like that. The next time I saw her work was the famous illustration of an indigenous Aztec man pointing with the quote “who’s the illegal alien pilgrim?!”. That blew my mind when I saw it, because I’d heard folks talk about Raza that way, but never saw someone flip it on Europeans. In addition to being an illustrator/painter she produced films too! in fact she is also an amazing photographer. Most recently at the Mission Cultural Center I saw some of her photos of homegirls hanging out, from car clubs, probably some who were family too. Her photos provided a glimpse into San Francisco and Xican@ culture that I’d never seen before so vividly in photographs. She is an inspiring artist and a teacher of many. And her son Rio happens to be a dope artist and human being too.

You can purchase this original piece $40, email me at info@robdontstop.com 8″x8″ mixed media on paper

Sources: http://mamiverse.com/, Wikipedia, Mission Cultural Center