“MUJERES”:  Artworks Trenton’s September exhibit titled “Mujeres” will showcase the range of Latina women’s creativity and culture.  Artist Guadalupe Reyes’ untitled work, pictured above, will be including in the showcases, which runs from September 10 to October 1. 

Exploding stereotypes and showing there’s a world of Latina art beyond Frida, Artworks will present “Mujeres,” a group show in September featuring the work of five women artists: Esperanza Cortes, Guadalupe Reyes, Jennifer Rivera, Tamara Torres and Mary Valverde. Coming from diverse cultures and backgrounds, these Latina women create art that is varied, technically proficient and thoroughly contemporary, as well as being socially engaged and feminist. “Mujeres” will be on exhibit at Artworks’ main gallery in downtown Trenton from September 6 through October 1, with an opening reception and special artistic performance on September 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. Artworks will also host a cultural forum and live music on September 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of the “Mujeres” show.

The artists in “Mujeres” have roots in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico, by way of New York City and Trenton. Their varied work ranges from painting and collage, to installation and site-specific performance art. “We believe this groundbreaking show will be the first all-Latina artist exhibition in the capital city,” said exhibit curator Eva Loayza.

“‘Mujeres’ will show the complexity and range of Latina women and Latino culture in the United States,” said Loayza. “We hope to demonstrate that we are more than feisty, fiery, spicy and all the other adjectives that have been assigned to us by mainstream culture; that we are more than the limited portrayals in the media and elsewhere,” she said.

“Latinas have been over-sexualized and oversimplified. We have been dumbed-down and lumped under a title that’s so vast that our individuality is lost. ‘Mujeres’ seeks to redress these misconceptions, showing that while language and cultural similarities bond us, we are uniquely different,” Loayza added.

Artworks is Trenton’s visual art center, connecting community, culture and creativity through the arts. Artworks is located in downtown Trenton at 19 Everett Alley. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information on exhibitions and other Artworks events and programs go to artworkstrenton.org, or call (609) 394-9436.

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