MONTARlaBestia (Riding the Beast) Art Exhibition @ UC Berkeley, with Support from The Mexican Museum; Runs through 09/29/17

MONTARlaBestia (“Riding the Beast”), art exhibition is on display at the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at the University of California, Berkeley, 2334 Bowditch St., in Berkeley, CA. The exhibition is open to the public through September 29, Tuesdays through Fridays from 1 p.m.- 5 p.m., MONTARlaBestia/Riding the Beast will be part of a larger CLAS program in Fall 2017 focusing on important themes involving the U.S. and Mexico.

Presented by the Colectivo de Artistas Contra la Discriminación (Artist Collective Against Discrimination), MONTARlaBestia/Riding the Beast is a moving, visually stunning exhibition that uses art and poetry to describe “La Bestia” – a train that carries up to 500,000 Central American migrants each year on a dangerous journey across Mexico towards the hope of a new life in the U.S. Walls and deportations, often presented in a context of xenophobic rhetoric, have focused national and international attention on the southern border of the U.S. CLAS feels this is a critical moment to engage in dialogue with people from both sides of the border.

MONTARlaBestia/Riding the Beast is underwritten by Andrew M. Kluger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Mexican Museum, in collaboration with the museum, Richard A. Levy, M.D., the Mexican Consulate General of San Francisco, and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation.

“MONTARlaBestia/Riding the Beast reflects the unique collaboration forged between The Mexican Museum and the Center for Latin American Studies in 2015,” said Kluger. “Our goal is to create an exchange of ideas, artists, and scholarship that will bring innovative and socially relevant cultural programming to a wider audience throughout the Bay Area and the State of California.”

For more information, please visit: http://clas.berkeley.edu/events/riding-beast.

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About The Mexican Museum: Founded by the well-known San Francisco artist Peter Rodriguez in 1975 in the heart of the Mission District, The Mexican Museum is located at the Fort Mason Center. It is the realization of his vision to present the aesthetic expression of the Mexican and Mexican-American/Chicano people including the arts, history, and heritage of their respective cultures.

In 2012, The Mexican Museum became an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex. The Museum joins over 200 organizations in 45 states, Puerto Rico and Panama that are in association with the Smithsonian. The permanent collections of The Mexican Museum includes more than 17,000 objects reflecting Pre-Hispanic, Colonial,19th Century, Modern, Contemporary Mexican, Mexican-American/Chicano, Latin American and Folk art..

The Mexican Museum, opens Thursday - Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., and is located at the Fort Mason Center, Building D, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, in San Francisco. Admission is FREE. The Museum offers a wide variety of programs, including Family Sundays, exhibitions, special events, lectures, and public programming throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit: http://www.mexicanmuseum.org or call (415) 202-9700.

The Mexican Museum has begun construction of its permanent home in the heart of the Yerba Buena Gardens Art District, which is expected to open in 2019. People are encouraged to support The Mexican Museum by becoming new members, or by joining the Builder’s Society online or by mailing a check to: The Mexican Museum, Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, Building D, San Francisco, CA 94123. For more information on the Builder’s Society, please contact Edgar De Sola at (415) 202-9700 ext. 225.