Manuscript Replica
José Guadalupe Posada comes to Hecho a Mano
The art world is rife with copies, forgeries and knockoffs, and the issue persists tenfold in the realm of prints. Once the plates are made, who decides what's an original or not? It's tricky to be sure, but when it comes to an artist like José Guadalupe Posada (you know the guy; he did that famous floppy hat skeleton lady), it can be even harder to judge what's collectible, what's not—and what's even from an era when Posada himself roamed the land.
"Basically, he was an illustrator under contract with a publisher, Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, who ran this printshop in Mexico City along with all these other printmakers," Hecho a Mano gallery owner Frank Rose tells SFR. "Posada didn't really own his designs—it's a lot like musicians who find themselves signing with a big label and not owning any of their work—so after he died, his publisher owned the plates, and then his grandson really engaged in a lot of duplication and just made a ton of them."
Much of Posada's post-death popularity, Rose says, came after iconic artists like Diego Rivera started to include Posada-esque designs in their own work, reframing his legacy as more revolutionary than it actually was. Still, book covers, newspaper illustrations and leaflet artworks abound in private collections throughout Mexico and beyond, and Rose's recent acquisition of two large lots featuring just those things becomes a public show opening this Friday. But how can we tell they're indeed earlier prints?
"You'll see things like, the images were usually associated with text of some kind, so seeing the image disconnected from text is a clue it's not original. And then the kind of paper they'd use at the time was really, really thin," Rose says. "I've seen pieces printed on really nice paper, and that's not real."
Rose says the show is particularly impressive in that Posada died in 1913, meaning the pieces have been cared for for well over 100 years. Additionally, you won't much see the floppy hat skull lady or ambulatory sombrero-clad mustachioed skeleton for which Posada is more readily known; rather, it's packed with works for chapbooks, fliers and other such things.
"As much as I'd love to have those other pieces in the show, I think it's really interesting to see the lesser-known things," Rose adds. (Alex De Vore)
Posada! Calaveras, Chapbooks and Broadsides from 1880-1910:
All day Friday, Feb. 26. Free.
Hecho a Mano,
830 Canyon Road, 916-1341
Silencio
If you've got DJ friends (which you totally should, because DJs are cool), you've probably seen the social media posts or gotten the texts bemoaning the loss of dance parties. How on Earth are we supposed to do a thing that, at its core, is about being right next to people and getting all sweaty? Outdoors, duh. Meet Eros Silent Disco and its Snow Moon Dance event at Patrick Smith Park, which is out to celebrate February's full moon, aka the snow moon. It's one of those silent discos wherein you're issued your own set of wireless headphones to which the featured DJ (Omi Loü in this case) beams dance jams. From the outside, it looks like a bunch of maniacs writhing to silence; in your own head, it's a dance party and a half. Simply Venmo $10 to venmo.com/leafylief anytime before the event, show up with water, a mask and your ID, and go wild (while distant). (ADV)
Snow Moon Dance:
3 pm Saturday, Feb. 27. $10.
Patrick Smith Park, 1010-1098 E Alameda St.,
facebook.com/ErosSilentDisco
Belly
Folks are picking up new skills all over the internet while the pandemic continues, and when you're sick of baking sourdough bread or are ready to slap that Duolingo owl in its stupid face, it's probably time to pop dancing onto the ol' to-do list. With local instructor Caitlin Prince, any "we should learn how to bellydance!" dreams can come true over Zoom with the weekly class Bellydance Drills. A longtime practitioner, Prince imparts her studied knowledge for a mere $10 per class. Each week features a different focus, including specific lessons on hip movement, circles, chest, turns and beyond. Prince has also developed a warmup routine to help folks get the most out of the experience and continue to build long-lasting knowledge. Venmo your payment to @PrinceCaitlin to get the Zoom invite. (ADV)
Bellydance Drills with Caitlin Prince:
7 pm Sunday Feb. 28. $10.
Zoom.us
Feminist Studies
Feminism's place in the arts is fraught with more information than seems digestible, but when your friends at SITE Santa Fe set out to demystify and educate, the topic seems far less daunting. Instructor Jennie Hirsh (a PhD, y'all) breaks it down with the upcoming four-week online course Feminism & Contemporary Art. Hirsh first digs into the politics and history of feminism, creating a deeper understanding of why its importance in art is so universal. Later classes include the early works of the 1960s and '70s, the second wave of artists like Rebecca Bellmore, Coco Fusco and others; and then, finally, she'll delve into the creators and output of the 21st century. Take the class to expand your knowledge, your own practice, your appreciation—just take it. (ADV)
Feminism & Contemporary Art:
2 pm Monday March 1. $10-$30 (free for SITE members).
sitesantafe.org