Dance workouts at Pony Sweat are not about perfection. They’re about moving your body to the music in a way that feels good. | Image by Pony Sweat

The best dance workout in L.A. is in Glassell Park, and that’s just one of NELA’s dance offerings

By T.A. Hendrickson
When the Los Angeles Times went looking for the best dance workouts in L.A., it found Pony Sweat in Glassell Park. Described by its founder Emilia Richeson-Valiente as “fiercely noncompetitive,” the twice weekly workout won raves from the Times for its great play list “designed to help you let go of any idea of perfection and simply move your body in a way that feels good.” More workouts abound. T, A, Hendrickson tells you about them here, too.

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"Sonic Terrains in Latinx Arts," a major exhibition at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East L.A. College, is open until July 30.

Staycation: How to have a memorable summer without leaving NELA

Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel Art, music, nature, books, movies, food, theater and comedy: There’s summer fun for everyone at locales in and near Northeast Los Angeles in the days and weeks ahead. Vincent Price Art Museum If you are into sound, Latinx art and/or performance, you have until July […]

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A short piece of the almost 250 ft of art works now seen along Figueroa St in Highland Park | Photo courtesy of the Arroyo Arts Collective

New streetscape art comes to Highland Park

By Bill Hendrickson Sixteen works of art by 14 local artists now grace the concrete “K-Rail” barriers along the east side of North Figueroa Street between Avenue 59 and Avenue 60. Conceived and spearheaded by Arroyo Arts Collective, the project, dubbed “Good Fences,”  is the collective’s latest effort to connect the creative community to the […]

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Eric Warren of the Eagle Rock Historical Society. Los Angeles, CA. April 7, 2022. Grace Meadows/The Occidental

Eric Warren, local historian compares and connects the past with the present

Want to know more about Eagle Rock, check in with the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society and Eric Warren, in particular. Warren said he started to work in local history in 2004 after he discovered some archives that were moved from Eagle Rock City Hall, he’s written the books about Eagle Rock and continues updating the Eagle Rock story to this day. Read more about Warren here.

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Leandro Cano and Tania Verafield in “Anna in the Tropics” at A Noise Within | Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Get to know: Tania Verafield

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

When you see Tania Verafield at Swork Coffee or Trader Joe’s or other Eagle Rock venues, she is one of those people you think you have met before, because, in a way, you very well may have. 

Verafield, 39, is an actor who moved to Eagle Rock from Echo Park when she was 10. She started acting locally as a child. Today she stars in “Anna in the Tropics,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Nilo Cruz at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena. It’s a “must” see at an intimate “off-Broadway” theatre. Read on if you like, but get tickets now – the play moves on after this Sunday, April 17.

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Carolyn Cole and Yovanny Martinez at the award ceremony today at Academia Avance in Highland Park | Photo by Alexandra Epstein for the Boulevard Sentinel)

Eleven NELA Student Photographers win CD-1 Hi Res Photo Contest

By Alexandra Epstein

The winners of Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s second annual photo competition were announced yesterday.  

 “What is your new normal?” asked the Councilmember of photographers enrolled in high schools located in Council District One. Over 100 students from 11 high schools submitted their artwork. Click here to see who finished first and the photo art submitted by all eleven finalists.

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The Nation of Language will be at the Lodge Room in Highland Park on Saturday, Mar. 19 and Sunday, Mar. 20.

15 fun things to do around NELA this weekend and beyond

By Pablo Nukaya Petralia and T. A. Hendrickson Whether you’re into food, theater, music, dance, art or books, there’s something for you in and near Northeast L.A. this weekend and in the weeks to come. Here’s a rundown: FOOD Tickets are on sale now for the 5th Masters of Taste food and beverage festival at […]

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Diep Tran used to run the hottest restaurant in Highland Park. Now she has co-written a cookbook about its not-so-secret ingredient.

By Mary Lynch

From 2009 to 2018, when chef Diep Tran owned the award-winning Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park, she and her restaurant were an anchor and a sensation in the changing neighborhood.
Tran is the news again: In a lively interview this weekend with the Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison, Tran and her partner, Tien Nguyen talk about “The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook,” which they co-wrote with Cuong Pham, the founder of the Red Boat Fish Sauce company.

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Activities in NELA this weekend kick off on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the start of the York Blvd. Art Market.

11 fun things to do in NELA this weekend and beyond

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia  [Editor’s note/Mar. 15: The Ty Segall performance at Zebulon on Mar. 18 has been cancelled.] Don’t stay home, but don’t leave town either. Here are 11 fun things to do in and around Northeast Los Angeles this weekend and in the week to come.  The York Blvd. Art Market returns to Ave. […]

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Nick Taggart with two of his paintings and a big smile | Photo by Allison Agsten, courtesy of Nick Taggart

Paintings by artist Nick Taggart, a longtime resident of Glassell Park, have been acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

Punk girls in a parking lot; desert landscapes in Beverly Hills; religious artifact shops.

This was the L.A., circa 1980, of Nick Taggart, an artist in Glassell Park who used bright plasticine colors, smooth textures and a personal, street-level attitude to paint the early days of L.A.’s underground art and music scene.

And now, some four decades later, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown L.A has acquired two of Taggart’s paintings from that era — “Rochelle and Sandy” and “Fender Buddies.” Take a look / click on the photo above.

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Street Food Cinema presents outdoor screenings of classic holiday movies at Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights from Dec. 18 to Dec. 23. | Image by Street Food Cinema

Six fun things to do in NELA from now ’til New Year’s Day

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The time between now and New Year’s Day doesn’t have to be a rush. Here are six ways to chill and have fun in Northeast L.A. in the days and weeks ahead. Holiday movie nights for the whole family In the run up to Christmas, Eagle Rock-based Street Food Cinema and the […]

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A scene from the New York premiere of “Seize the King.” The play is being performed at Occidental College this weekend. | Richard Termine/The New York Times

Five ways to have more fun this weekend

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

For theatergoers, record buffs, art lovers, film fans, here’s what’s happening in and near Northeast Los Angeles this weekend.

Several of the events are free though may require advance tickets. All the events are taking place in person; masking protocols apply.

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The Throop House in Garvanza will be considered for historic cultural monument status. | Photo by Charles Fisher

Throop House in Garvanza clears first hurdle on way to historic cultural monument status

By T.A. Hendrickson

The Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) of the city of Los Angeles voted unanimously on Nov. 18 to consider the nomination of Throop House in Garvanza for Historic Cultural Monument status, the Highland Park Heritage Trust announced today.

The vote is an important hurdle to clear, but there are more hurdles to come. There’s more. Read on.

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Councilmember Gil Cedillo in front of the Champions of Change mural in Lincoln Heights. "It is important to have murals that educate ourselves and others about our history," he said.

New mural honors the greats of Lincoln Heights

By T. A. Hendrickson The newest mural in Los Angeles, by artist Sergio Daniel Robleto, is arguably the most inspiring.  Located in Albion Riverside Park in Lincoln Heights and entitled “Champions of Change,” the mural depicts six people from Lincoln Heights who have changed the world for the better. “The Champions of Change mural is […]

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You can explore ancient Mesoamerica, including artifacts like this Aztec calendar sun stone, in weekly virtual courses in September and October at the Arroyo Seco Regional Library. | Image from Smithsonianmag.com

Take part in art in NELA

By Pablo-Nukaya Petralia Programs to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month and Los Angeles Textile Month, art that blurs the line between virtual and real, and live theater for a cause are just some of the art and culture offerings in NELA in the days and weeks ahead. Arroyo Seco Regional Library To celebrate Hispanic Heritage […]

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Art created in 1976 and 1977 at the Mechicano Art Center in Highland Park by (from left) Carlos Almaraz, Guillermo Bejarano and Judithe Hernández | Photos from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, image courtesy of Highland Park Heritage Trust

Chicano history in Highland Park gains official recognition

By T.A. Hendrickson

The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to grant Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) status to two locations in Highland Park where Chicano art and culture flourished in the 1970s.

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Leticia Maldonado, a neon artist who lives in Highland Park, bends glass in her studio. | Photo by Lauren Noble

Get to know: Leticia Maldonado, local neon artist

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia In mid-July, as a one-woman show by neon artist Leticia Maldonado was set to open at Bermudez Projects gallery in Cypress Park, word went out that Maldonado’s next stop would be the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Glendale, where she will have her first ever museum solo exhibition in September 2022. […]

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Carlos Almaraz (1941-1989) is one of many significant Chicano artists who worked in studios in Highland Park. Efforts to secure historic cultural monument status for those studios will be discussed at a national conference this month on historic preservation. | Still from Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire.

Six ways to enjoy art and culture in NELA this August

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia  Art and culture offerings in NELA in August include historic preservation events, a street fair, a live-music jam and outdoor theater performances. Here are six picks, including a reminder to artists and art nonprofits that applications for grants are now being taken by the Eastside Arts Initiative. Historic preservation/Rockhaven  On Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 […]

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"Rochelle and Sandy" (1980) by Nick Taggert, one of several works on view at ODD ARK.

Happening Now: Art and Culture in NELA

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The art and culture offerings in NELA in July range from new art exhibits, the return of live theatre, film and and a major new mural underway in Highland Park.  ODD•ARK LA The Highland Park art gallery ODD ARK•LA will feature the work of artist Nick Taggert in the closing weeks of […]

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Susana Porras and her father capture a moment during their 500 mile pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. | Photo courtesy of Susana Porras

Susana Porras: A local poet makes a pilgrimage

By Christopher Nyerges Susana Porras, a Pasadena native and the District Liaison for Pasadena City Councilmember John J. Kennedy, is also an inspired and inspiring poet. Her new book, entitled “To Compostela and Beyond! A Poet’s Chronicle of the Camino de Santiago,” is a collection of 39 sonnets composed on 39 days and nights in 2018 […]

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"Rochelle and Sandy" (1980) by Nick Taggert, one of several works on view at ODD ARK.

Art and Culture in NELA, July 2021

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia The art and culture offerings in NELA in July range from new art exhibits, the return of live theatre, film and and a major new mural underway in Highland Park.  ODD•ARK LA The Highland Park art gallery ODD ARK•LA will feature the work of artist Nick Taggert in the closing weeks of […]

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La Mujer de Aztlán, 1976, by Judithe Hernández and Carlos Almaraz, two of many now-renowned artists who were associated with Mechicano Art Center and Centro de Arte Público in Highland Park. | University of Southern California Digital Library /Photo: Robin Dunitz

City moves closer to official recognition for Highland Park’s Chicano heritage

By Bill Hendrickson

The drive to gain recognition for Highland Park’s pivotal role in the Chicano Art Movement of the 1970s is entering a critical phase — and you can help ensure that the neighborhood gets the recognition it deserves. You can make a difference. Read how and why here.

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The prize in the L.A. River Public Art Project is named for the late Lewis MacAdams (shown above), the pioneering champion of L.A. River restoration. \ Photo from Patch.com

Art, Culture and You in NELA in June

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia As the economy reopens, opportunities are increasing to view and create art and participate in cultural activities. Here’s a sampling of what’s on offer in Northeast Los Angeles in June.  L.A. River Public Art Project The LA River Public Art Project seeks artists, writers and makers to compete for the 2nd annual […]

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Visitors can now tour the interiors of the Victorian mansions at Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights | Photo courtesy of Heritage Square Museum

Happening now: Art and culture in NELA

By Pablo Nuykaya-Petralia
Deadlines are approaching to participate in the Highland Park Independent Film Festival and the L.A. River Public Art Project, so act soon if you want to enter.
Local museums, including the Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights and the Southwest Museum in Mount Washington, continue to reopen, revealing treasures from eras past.

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A scene from the 2021 Winter show at Renaissance Arts. The performance was produced and presented by students working remotely.

Top Award for Renaissance Arts Academy in Glassell Park

By T.A. Hendrickson

Renaissance Arts Academy, a K-12 public charter school in Glassell Park, has won an Exemplary Arts Education Award for 2021 from the state Department of Education.

Renaissance Arts is one of six schools in Los Angeles and 27 statewide to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in arts education.

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"On Becoming," a new exhibition at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park, explores what it means to break free from stereotypes, sexism and other forms of bias.

Art and Culture This Week in NELA

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

Highlights from the week of May 15 to May 22 include livestream concerts by local bands at local venues, the opening of a gallery exhibition featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, a major museum reopening and the latest York Boulevard Cruise Nights car show.

There’s also still time to get out and view several ongoing exhibitions or pick up a new book by local writers and artists.

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The puppets of Bob Baker Marionette Theater will put on a show on May 7 to to help raise money for the upcoming Vidiots opening in Eagle Rock.

Something for everyone: Art and culture in NELA in May

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

Puppets join forces with movie lovers this month in Northeast Los Angeles, and that’s just the start of ways to experience the arts this month in NELA.
There are also in-person exhibitions at museums and galleries, a new art installation and a new book out this month on L.A.’s parks, illustrated and authored by local artists and writers. Get the details here.

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Artwork by Nicola L. on display at the Huntington as part of the "Made in LA 2020: a version" exhibition. | Photo by Joshua White/ JWPictures.com

Art and opera in NELA this week

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

A new exhibition opens and opera returns this week, along with several ongoing cultural events in NELA: You can view the work of contemporary local artists at Bermudez Projects in Cypress Park, the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park and the Huntington Art Museum in San Marino. You can even enter your own art in a juried art show in Elysian Valley. Here’s the latest.

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à bloc cafe in Highland Park plans to exhibit the work of student artists.

New opportunities to create and display art in NELA now

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia Update: We have expanded our art and culture listing for the month of March with the following three new opportunities to exhibit and view art in Northeast Los Angeles.  Display your artwork à bloc cafe on York Blvd. currently seeks local student artists who are interested in having their work featured in […]

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Concepto para el mural "Earth Mother" por Ernesto de la Loza y su hermana, Sandra de la Loza.

Artistas seleccionados para crear el nuevo mural de Highland Park

Por Angela Guglielmino Traducido por Eduardo Garcia Se anunciaron el 22 de febrero los ganadores de la competencia para ver quienes pintarán el nuevo mural de Highland Park: Ernesto de la Loza, un muralista chicano estimado, y Sandra de la Loza, una artista, experta en murales y la hermana de Ernesto, trabajarán juntos para traer el diseño de Ernesto, Earth Mother, a la […]

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Artists' sketch of the mural "Earth Mother" by Ernesto de la Loza and his sister, Sandra de la Loza

Artists selected to create new mural in Highland Park

By Angela Guglielmino Winners were announced on Monday in the competition to paint Highland Park’s next major mural: Ernesto de la Loza, an esteemed Chicano muralist, and Sandra de la Loza, an artist, mural expert and Ernesto’s sister, will work together to bring Ernesto’s design, Earth Mother, to the side wall of the new Planned […]

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A look at "In Yarrow We Trust," a part of a new exhibit opening at Oxy Arts on York Blvd. Photo credit: Oxy Arts.

Your Guide to Art and Culture in NELA

By Pablo Nukaya
As art and culture organizations have changed their ways in response to the pandemic, the result has been a creative outpouring of virtual exhibitions, online workshops and streaming performances. 

Here are upcoming art and culture opportunities in Northeast Los Angeles, many of which are free and all of which can be experienced remotely or at a safe distance.

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This photo by Leo Phillips of the Cortines School of Visual Arts took first place in the High Res photography competition. | Photo courtesy of CD 1.

Winners announced in high school photography contest to document local impact of COVID-19

By Bill Hendrickson City Councilmember Gil Cedillo has announced the winners in “High Res 2020,” a photography competition that challenged local high school students to portray the impact of COVID-19 on their families, friends, classes and communities. Leo Phillips, a freshman at Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in downtown L.A., took first place. […]

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Yolanda González (above) will have a solo exhibition of her paintings and prints at the Bermudez Projects art gallery in Cypress Park, Nov. 14 to Dec. 26. | Photo by John S. Rabe

Art in NELA now: Where to buy it, view it, create it

Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel Here’s how to experience art in NELA now:  The Bermudez Projects art gallery in Cypress Park is a focal point this holiday season for buying and viewing art.  A major artwork from a major exhibition is on display now in the seating area of Go […]

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Alexandra Noel, "Can you bring everything with you?", 2019 Oil and enamel on panel. 8 ¼ x 10 ¼ in. (21 x 26 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Bodega, New York

Major Exhibition Featuring NELA Artists to Open in the Fall

By T. A. Hendrickson Made in L.A. 2020 has been delayed but not waylaid. The high-profile exhibition of Los Angeles-based artists, originally scheduled for this summer, is now set to run from early September through January 3. This is great news for the 30 artists in the show, a group that includes five artists from […]

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The Hammer Museum and the Huntington are collaborating on Made in L.A. 2020.

NELA Artists to Participate in Major Exhibition

Five artists who live or work in Northeast Los Angeles have been selected to participate in the fifth Made in L.A. biennial exhibition, which will take place at the Hammer Museum in Westwood and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino from June 7 through August 30.

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LA Plaza is the place to begin your exploration of Mexican and Mexican American history of Los Angeles. LA Plaza has something to offer casual and curious visitors; elementary, high school and college students; and teachers and researchers alike. | From La Plaza Facebook page.

Big Grants for NELA Nonprofits

Children, Teens, Artists and Audiences to Benefit from grants by U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Read how here.

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Logo for the 6th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival - October 3 - October 5, 2019

Your Guide to the 6th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival

With 50 films over three days, this year’s Highland Park Independent Film Festival is the largest and most ambitious in the festival’s six-year history. The screenings, at the Highland Theater (5604 N. Figueroa St.) include six world premieres, four Los Angeles premieres and an Academy Award-nominated short. There are films in virtually every genre: animation, documentary, sci-fi, action/adventure, noir and foreign. Here’s a moviegoer’s guide to festival:

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Artist Paula Lopez, seen here, is repainting the SW Museum mural | Photo by Jesus Sanchez for The Eastsider

The Mural on Marmion Way – Lost and Found

The prep work for re-painting of the 170′ mural on Marmion Way near the Southwest Museum has been completed and the re-painting has begun, Both the preparation work and the re-painting are creative adventures in their own right. See the work in process on the Boulevard Sentinel.

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Ana Serrano inside her installation, Homegrown, which has been acquired by the L.A. County Musuem of Art | Photo by John S. Rabe

Artwork by Ana Serrano Acquired by L.A. County Museum of Art

From the College of Art and Design to the LA County Museum, Ana Serrano evokes the look and feel of front-yard, window-ledge spaces in Latino neighborhoods. Read on for a view of the creative expression of what we pass by every day in NELA.

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New Group Forms to Save the Southwest Museum and Lummis House

The Lummis Legacy League, a grassroots organization to preserve the legacy of Charles Fletcher Lummis, will hold a kick-off reception and presentation on March 17 at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Cypress Park. Suzanne Lummis, the granddaughter of Charles Lummis, will be a guest of honor. The group hopes to draw more […]

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Marcos Juarez, a realtor, and Alex Lozano, a broker associate, both with Compass Real Estate in Highland Park, showing a rendering of Frank Romero's next mural, 'Going to the Olympics Again.' -Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Frank Romero Mural Coming to Highland Park

By T. A. Hendrickson

When Frank Romero painted the mural “Going to the Olympics” for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he was already famous as a founding member of Los Four, the artist collective that put Chicano art on the art-world map.

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