The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council will soon mark three decades of providing art events, education, festivals and increasing awareness of Chicano/Latino culture in Colorado.

The anniversary celebration, set for April, will include the show La Familia at the CHAC galleries, 772 Santa Fe Drive, celebrating the artists and diversity of work that have endured since the council's founding in 1978. It has since broadened to one of the premier art communities in the city.

The CHAC art show by members will be joined with a second exhibition titled the Imagination Celebration, with artists Michael Canada, Mardelle Espinoza, Dan Muniz, Robert Maestas, Thompson Williams, Joe Martinez, Eliza Armijo, Catherine Salazar and others.

Artist Yoko Ono has contributed a limited edition iPod Touch inscribed with the phrase "Imagine Peace" and signed "Love, Yoko," along with a signed postcard picturing her and John Lennon's 1969 Montreal 'Bed-in' and a letter of authenticity from the Lennon-Ono estate Studio One in New York City. The donation will be auctioned during the event to help CHAC's family-oriented workshops.

The La Familia show will run April 2 to 26, with an opening reception April 4 as part of the First Friday Art Walk in the ArtDistrict on Santa Fe.

A painting by one of the CHAC founding members, Al Sanchez, titled I Am CHAC, was chosen to represent the 30th anniversary milestone. It depicts CHAC members and friends over the years in a style reminiscent of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album cover.

CHAC artist Canada helped organize the anniversary event and is excited about the milestone and Ono's donation to help the art community.

"We're trying to add more workshops and really make more friends within the community - this is a great start to adding to who we are," Canada said.
"Like many artists, I was looking for a venue to display my work," Canada remembered. "I came in here about June of last year and I was greeted with open arms. I knew as soon as I saw the artwork and started meeting the other artists and Crystal ( O'Brien), I knew that I fit in here."

"Since that time, I've volunteered my time, really started learning about CHAC, what they represent, what they do in the community to where I've been able to kind of focus to what CHAC means to other individuals in the area - other than just selling work, it's really the bigger picture of helping other people.'

Shortly after joining, Canada became a board member and worked on planning art shows and talking with CHAC sponsors to spread the message.

"For the 30 years we've been here we've had many established artists come through the door and really promote CHAC the gallery and it helped them with their career to where they gave back to us as well," Canada said. " Tony Ortega and Stevon Lucero, both well-known across the country, they really give back to the meaning of CHAC in helping bring along up and coming artists and the younger generation and really show them that you don't really have to be dead to have your art make money."

"With a lot of the cutbacks in public education we give the kids an outreach on getting some of the art discipline they may need that unfortunately the school may not be able to provide, even though they want to."
Canada says he had other jobs but was not satisfied, and knew had to be an artist

"The success from that is not always be financial but it's satisfying personally to where I know this is work I want to do ... I looked at other work and galleries, but once here, it felt like I had won the Super Bowl, and once I came here things really started to happen for me in a positive way, and I'm really trying to contribute back to the gallery."

CHAC began with its smaller south gallery first, adding the north side about year and a half ago. There are two shows each month, with the south gallery usually featuring the combined work of gallery members, the north side usually with a theme show.

"I'm just very excited about the April show and it's going to help out CHAC and get us into the next frontier and take those first steps in being able to show the public who we are and what we're about," Canada said.

CHAC executive director O'Brien says she too began as a volunteer 11 years ago, was asked to join the board and eventually assumed the role of director. She compliments Canada's work's work.

"Michael's been a great help," O'Brien said. "His enthusiasm is ... overwhelming at times. We've really needed that because we're still a small organization even though we've been around 30 years, we have minimal staffing and it's just nice that Michael has the time and dedication to do this for us for us because we need it."

CHAC also is proud of how it promotes the arts through various children's outreach programs, working with schools and organizations on visual arts as well as theater, dance and music programs.

The gallery also hosts Cookies y Leche (Cookies and Milk) art workshops the third Saturday each month, to introduce children to art projects such as Christmas ornaments, sugar skulls used in Dia de los Muertos celebrations and holiday and cultural activities.

Sanchez told YourHub.com helping build CHAC in the early days, "was one of the most significant things we've done."

That sentiment was echoed by Lucero, who said it was never just about the artists, "but giving something to the community."

Some of the CHAC founders say they'll tell the history of the group in future YourHub.com postings.

As for the future, Canada and the staff think big.
"First, preserve the past, which we've been doing - then take what we've learned from our past and bring it into the future so that anyone who wants to learn about our culture, Chicano art - or any kind of art, will really have a place to come share their thoughts, express their art and really help out anyone that's interested in learning and turning them into successful artists," Canada said., who says his personal goal is to make CHAC a force in Denver's art world - and the entire art world.

Over 30 years, as with many galleries, financing is always a concern, and the staff tries to build on strategies that have worked as well as building relationships with sponsors, members and new artists.
Several different types of memberships are available, and O'Brien said volunteers are always welcome. For more information, visit www.chacweb.org or call 303-571-0440.

Editor's note: YourHub.com asked CHAC executive director Crystal O'Brien to provide us a column on the 30th anniversary to accompany this article. Here is her column:

CHAC artists set standards high

We are writing to you to tell you about a very special event!

CHAC, which was formed in 1978 by a group of visual and performing artists will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year!

CHAC was established as a place where Chicano/Latino artists were provided with a venue to explore visual and performance art and promote and preserve the Chicano/Latino culture through the expression of the arts. Over the years, CHAC has evolved into a very exciting, inclusive and dynamic arts organization, combining several areas that include festivals, artistic events, gallery space, poetry, art, music, storytelling, educational outreach and presentations on the subject on the Chicano/Latino culture.

We are proud of our many accomplishments over the years. The following list is merely a glimpse of CHAC's many accomplishments: In 1995, Denver's Westword designated the Chile Harvest Festival "Best Arts Festival" in Denver; CHAC was selected to administer the Cultural Perspectives arts Project at Denver International Airport in 1994; CHAC was the Recipient of the Governor's award for Excellence in the Arts in 2002; In May of 2004, CHAC and CHAC's Executive Director were presented with the "Embrace the World Award" by Global Visions Art Alliance; and the Rocky Mountain News recognized CHAC in July 2004 as one of Denver's 25 "Forces of Culture." Recently, CHAC was a KMGH A-List nominee.

We are celebrating this incredibly exciting event with an unbelievably special show in April 2008! The show will be called La Familia. We are celebrating the CHAC family of artists and the diversity and breath of work that is part this incredible group of artists that we all call our CHAC family.

We have chosen an extraordinary piece of art painted by one of CHAC's Founding members, Al Sanchez, to represent our 30th anniversary celebration! The piece is titled I Am CHAC.

It depicts several CHAC members and friends over the years and is reminiscent of a popular Beatles album cover. It is a very dynamic piece and will be on display during the April show. A limited edition of signed prints will be available for purchaseduring the event.

Please see the enclosed call for entry form in this packet for all the details.
We are happy and proud to have you as part of our CHAC Family and look forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary with you!

Crystal O'Brien
CHAC executive director