Three Merced painters, united in friendship and in their steadfast determination not to compromise their creative values, are serving as UC Merced’s first locally based artists-in-residence.
The brushes of Ruben Aguilera Sanchez, Frank Ayala and Abel Corchado create surreal scenes of fieldhands and crops coalescing in blues and reds, of a rural street splashed in watercolor, of shark fins cutting through a beach as a sandcastle rises from the surf.
The three, who are subjects of “Los Tres," a documentary by filmmaker and UC Merced Professor Yehuda Sharim, will host a community listening session on Feb. 17. Later, on March 10, they will join a screening of the film and a question-and-answer session after the documentary.
The university artist-in-residence designation is another milestone in the shared journey of Sanchez, Ayala and Corchado, who have known each other for more than four decades. Over the years, the men have supported each other’s work, mentored others and pushed back against public expectations.
“I’m an artist who is Latino, not a Latino artist,” Ayala said.
“They trailblazed their own vision, and that’s what we are honoring,” said Sharim, a professor of media and performance studies.
'We are flattered and honored to do this, to work with UC Merced and the community. We didn’t expect this.'
The Feb. 17 community listening session is scheduled for 5 – 7:30 p.m. in Room 116A of the Social Sciences and Management Building. Registration is recommended.
The March 10 screening of “Los Tres” will be held in the Lakireddy Auditorium (Room 102) of Classroom and Office Building 1. The documentary is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., followed by a one-hour Q&A session at 7:30 p.m. and a reception at 8:30 p.m. Please register.
“We are flattered and honored to do this, to work with UC Merced and the community,” Sanchez said. “We didn’t expect this.”
For more information about the documentary, go to centralvalleyart.com.
In addition to these events, the artists will visit UC Merced classes (including Sharim’s Cinema for the People course) to inspire students about the creative process. The three also will collaborate on the painting of a mural at a campus location to be determined. Sharim said the artists want to gather ideas about what the mural might contain and communicate. The Feb.17 listening session is a big step toward that goal.
The artists-in-residence program is sponsored by the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts and by the Division of Equity, Justice & Inclusive Excellence.
“EJIE is excited to support the campus visits by these prominent and legendary Central Valley artists,” Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Delia Saenz said. “They are committed to the advancement of the arts and to elevating diverse cultural representations. SSHA's collaboration with EJIE in sponsoring these giants is reflective of UC Merced's commitment to excellence and inclusion, and to community-campus collaboration.”
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