An exhibition celebrating the "corrido" ballad tradition in the United States and Mexico, which was created by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the Smithsonian Institution, will open Feb. 14 at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to travel to eight other venues during the next three years.
"Corridos sin Fronteras," which means "Ballads Without Borders," recreates the historical development of the corrido, a narrative song or ballad whose characters, events and themes are representative of the values and history of local communities in the United States and Mexico.
"This national exhibition is a visual illustration of the diversity of themes present in these ballads, known as corridos, as well as a musical journey through voices, melodies, instruments, styles and interpretations that corridos have adopted in their long and complex evolution," said Guillermo Hernandez, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. "Old and new audiences will be exposed to a most significant genre that represents the unofficial side of history."
Vintage and modern recordings, historical documents, photographs, posters, musical instruments and other treasured memorabilia were used to recreate the historical development of the corrido over the past 200 years.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a musical journey back in time as well; recordings will be heard throughout the exhibition.
The exhibit builds on the world's first museum exhibition on the corrido, which was displayed at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in June 1998. That sound-based exhibition was the first to recreate the historical development of the corrido through vintage and modern recordings, photographs, posters, musical instruments, weapons and other significant memorabilia.
Featured in the Smithsonian exhibition are 16 corridos in four core sound stations and three video stations, along with musical instruments, costumes, memorabilia, historical documents, photographs, a musical interactive unit and a map detailing the origins of the ballad tradition and the places represented by the corrido stories in the exhibit.
The exhibit also has an online educational companion at www.corridos.org/. Beginning in April, the Web site will allow users to hear 16 corridos and create their own. The site will be in both English and Spanish.
Hernandez, a scholar in corrido studies who has published, lectured and edited publications in this field, is the curator of the exhibit, and Isabel Castro-Melendez, who is in charge of research and development at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, is the co-curator.
The exhibit was organized by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. The exhibit was made possible through the support of the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives.
The exhibition will be traveling to San Jose, Calif.; Denver; San Antonio, Texas; McAllen, Texas; Mesa, Ariz.; Chicago; Austin; Texas; and Albuquerque, N.M.
Founded in 1969, the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center promotes the study and dissemination of knowledge on the experience of the people of Mexican descent and other Latinos in the United States. The center's primary goal is support of UCLA faculty research and training of the next generation of scholars in this area. Emphasis is given to supporting interdisciplinary and collaborative research, articulating issues critical to the development of Chicano and Latino communities in the United States, and establishing and maintaining relationships with other research institutions.
The Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives was established in May 1997 to advance knowledge and understanding of Latino contributions to U.S. history, culture and society. The center accomplishes its mission by generating knowledge through research and scholarship; interpreting and communicating knowledge through exhibitions, public programs, and online and electronic capabilities; and by building dialogue and relationships among U.S. Latino communities, the Smithsonian Institution, and other educational and research organizations, foundations, corporations and government agencies.
