SACRAMENTO, CA.- The Crocker Art Museum announced the opening of "Arte Extraordinario," a show of 29 new Museum acquisitions by a diverse group of rising stars and time-honored trail blazers in the contemporary art world.

The bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibition showcases works by 25 artists from North, Central, and South America who are known for producing works that challenge, critique, innovate, or inspire. A wide range of themes is explored including cultural identity, politics, activism, humor, family, and religion. Many of the artists connect with their indigenous roots through their work.

The exhibition covers a wide range of genres from pop and figuration to landscape and abstraction. Works in various media are featured including sculpture, collage, paintings, prints, photography, and works on paper. Visitors will see several works by members of Mexico’s famed Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop), a collective known for its prints addressing social, political, and economic issues.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

• Carlos Almaraz – painter from Los Angeles who uses dynamic brushwork to depict a serene moonlit scene

• Raúl Anguiano – art teacher and muralist, he was also a member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular

• Raúl Cañibano – photographer who seeks out stories that are distinctly Cuban in an era of great change

• Estelle Chaves – painter from the Bay Area who, in the 1960s, created still-lifes and other scenes with sharp edges and strong geometric shapes

• José Luis Cuevas – artist known for breaking away from Mexican muralism and for depicting strange and often malformed figures

• Date Farmers – artist duo from southern California known for using various materials and cultural reference to explore the multifaceted nature of Chicano identity in the U.S.

• Flor Garduño – photographer known for documenting enduring traditions of ancient cultures (such as Aztec)

• Ramiro Gómez – born in San Bernardino to undocumented Mexican parents, reflects on personal experience to address immigration issues in his paintings

• Matt Gonzalez – northern California collage artist, often uses found objects, sometimes merges politics and art

• Diana Guerrero-Maciá – multimedia artist known for infusing her work with signs and symbols

• Sam Hernández – multimedia artist known for innovative, free-standing abstractions in wood

• Graciela Iturbide – photographer who often befriends her subjects; her compositions sometimes emphasize textures and repetitious forms

• Patrick Martinez – known for bold exploration of textures, shapes, and various media; his work is often inspired by his diverse cultural heritage

• Leopoldo Méndez – founder of the Taller de Gráfica Popular and innovative printmaker who favored bold movement in his work

• Ana Mendieta – known for using photography to record her performance-based, ephemeral works which often took inspiration from religious rituals and the female body

• Carlos Mérida – artist from Guatemala known for using gestures and shapes inspired by his love of music and dance

• Miguel Miramontes – sculptor known for his public art around Mexico (at least 50 in Guadalajara alone!)

• Juan Carlos Quintana – painter who presents satirical caricatures of heroic and villainous modern-day archetypes

• Gabriela Sanchez – painter who explores relationships between religious indoctrination, body image, and perceptions of one’s sexuality

• Rufino Tamayo – known for figurative abstraction, limited palette of rich colors & textures, and taking inspiration from Mexico’s cultural traditions

• Francisco Toledo – painter and sculptor known for surreal figures and aspects that harken to Mexico’s indigenous cultures

• Kukuli Velarde – ceramist who explores ancient art traditions in the Americas, especially her native Peru; hints at ways that culture is passed down through the generations

• Alfredo Zalce – best known as a muralist, also worked in a variety of genres and media, and was a member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular

Arte Extraordinario is organized by the Crocker Art Museum. The exhibition's curator is Kristina Perea Gilmore.