Self Help Graphics & Art

SHG is most well-known for organizing annual Day of the Dead festivities, in addition to hosting exhibitions and musical performances.

Shortly thereafter, funds provided by the California Arts Council allowed the hiring of artists Peter Tovar, Michael Amescua, Fernando Amozorrutia, Carlos Bueno, Victor Du Bois, Jeff Gates, Linda Orozco, Jesse Rays, Carla Webber, Silvia Chavez, and Linda Vallejo as arts instructors.

Boccalero attended grant-writing workshops and hired professional administrative staff, including a bilingual office manager supplied by the American GI Forum's SER-Jobs for Progress.

The building, which is owned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was previously home to the Catholic Youth Organization, which rented space for dances and meetings.

According to cultural historian Kristen Guzmán, "From [...] correspondence involving Sister Karen and members of her community, as well as the Franciscan priests of Santa Barbara and Oakland, it is evident that the Church was vital to Self Help's existence in this period".

[4] The former Self Help building contained a gallery, Galería Otra Vez, a printing room, office, studio space for artists-in-residence, and storage areas in two stories.

It not being financially feasible for the not-for-profit organization to continue paying rent, it was able to secure a new space and in March 2011 moved to 1300 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033.

[citation needed] The building acquisition was made possible through Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) bond funds from the City of Los Angeles and its Economic and Workforce Development Office and funding from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Weingart Foundation, lending from California Community Foundation and private donors.

[citation needed] After years of fundraising in support of its Capital Campaign and community engagement surrounding the development of the building, the organization will embark on a cultural center renovation with details forthcoming.

On weekdays, the BMAS visited public and parochial schools and taught photography, batik, sculpture, puppetry, and filmmaking.

The shift was also a means to concentrate the center's resources, which were becoming limited due to Reagan Administration-era cutbacks in social spending.

"Chicano Expressions" was an internationally touring exhibit funded by the United States Information Agency to "provide exposure to American values and culture".

The exhibit, which featured work from 20 artists, toured South Africa, Colombia, Honduras, Germany, France, and Spain in 1993.

Today, the Day of the Dead is one of Los Angeles's major celebrations, and receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, among other sources.

The event has not only been the occasion to, as a promotional brochure explains, "learn about the important role that heritage and tradition play in defining who we are", but has also been used to make artistic and political statements.

In 1974, the Chicano conceptual and performance art group Asco took advantage of the opportunity to confront a by-then entrenched social and political culture with an irreverent "invasion".

In the midst of ceremonies attended by Los Angeles's political elite, Harry Gamboa Jr., Patssi Valdez, Gronk, and Willie Herrón were "delivered" in a giant envelope marked postage due.

Altars to honor the victims of the Iraq War that incorporate text or images highlighting the high casualty rate among Latino soldiers are an example of such.

The celebration was moved to its current location at East Los Angeles Civic Center on 3rd Street and Mednik Avenue.