This will be the seventeenth year that the dA Center for the Arts will be presenting the exhibit d'Aztlan that was initiated by Frank and Cathy Garcia who dedicated their time and deep art connections to establish this important exhibition for the eastern corridor of LA in Pomona.

Their contributions have been monumental not simply to the dA, the City of Pomona, or even to the arts but to the Chicano community as a whole.

We are proud to be continuing their tremendous legacy in a Covid friendly virtual reach with this year's special feature of art from 50th Chicano Moratirium - We Do Not Forget : EDUCATE

IDENTITIES: Selected Work by Incarcerated Artists, 2017-2019, offers powerful, personal visions of hope, yearning, childhood and generational trauma, and empathy by artists incarcerated at California Institution for Men (CIM), the state prison in Chino, California.           

The exhibit, provided from the collection held by UrbanMission Community Partners’ InsideOut Art runs virtually through September 30, 2020, at The dA Center for the Arts. It marks the first collaboration between The dA and UMCP.         

 Rev. Nora Jacob, UMCP’s Acting Executive Director and Restorative Justice Director and local residents who have lived experience of imprisonment were those who chose the art to include. They selected thirteen (13) paintings in acrylic, pen, and/or watercolor by nine (9)  incarcerated artists to be  featured.  

Rev. Nora Jacob has co-facilitated Restorative Justice accountability and healing groups at CIM since 2014, currently interrupted by COVID-19 access restrictions. Shortly after she began at CIM, people incarcerated there began to show her their art works in progress; by 2016, this had turned into a coordinated, collaborative effort to encourage incarcerated artists, with logistical support from the prison.

Thank you to Rev. Nora Jacob for organizing and submitting the exceptional information for this exhibition IDENTITIES.

Providing access to all the arts in an equitable and inclusive space for all ages is a priority for the dA. We recognize that the ARTS offer a level playing field for all and that the ARTS are a powerful tool that tell our stories which helps us to better understand ourselves and the possibilities for the world around us.  The artists, the pairings, and the narrative in this exhibition are a testimony to how the ARTS ignite transformational and essential learning, healing, and yes, imagining. With Gratitude, dA Team.

Thank you to everyone who worked creatively in this time of Covid to make this installation happen while prioritizing safe social distancing.