Identity in Art

By: Victoria Balcom

In the bustling district of Downtown San Diego,

one might find refuge in a hip restaurant or bar.
But for artists, places to call home are few and
far between. Nestled in-between the Santa Fe
Depot Train Station and America Plaza, the
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
(MCASD) lies in wait, open-arms, calling for
artists to find home.

Albeit small, the 3-gallery museum exudes the feeling of a much bigger space. Maybe not
physically, but you feel a part of something big. The art scene is San Diego is on the rise
recently, with hundreds of events going on each week, everywhere in the county. The MCASD is
actually two museums- one in Downtown San Diego and the other in La Jolla, the mothership. In
1993, the Downtown location was opened, and in 2007 it was expanded to include 3 galleries,
offices and conference rooms. In the brightly-lit, rustic galleries situated in the original baggage
rooms of the train station, creativity, art and activism brews and bubbles, bursting with life.

Zoila Marquez, a senior at HTHCV and a volunteer at the Museum, takes me on a tour of the
galleries and exhibits that make up the MCASD. After completing her junior internship at the
museum, Zoila did whatever she could to stay in touch, noting that Oddly enough, I had always
wanted to work in an art museum. From there I just kept bothering my mentor and boss about
volunteering and staying in contact with the museum any way I could.

To Zoila, the museum is more than just a life affirming job opportunity. Zoila recalls an
installation that impacted her particularly strongly; Cheech Marin's Papel Chicano Dos, a
personal collection of Marins personal Chicano Art. For a while, I had not considered myself a
Chicana and had strayed away from my cultural upbringing. As an artist, the personal element of
who I was as a person just didn't exist, Zoila recounts, Because of that installation, I started to
recognize that it is a huge part of who I am and how I grew up. I think seeing Papel Chicano Dos
only fueled what had already been sparked.

To the Museum, a good collection of exhibits is not the only important thing. Right now, the
MCASD is working with UCSDs graduate fine arts students and presenting their final work in
an eclectic and inspiring exhibit titled A Step Away: Artists from the MFA program at UC San
Diego. Zoila believes the MCASDs collaborations with Higher Education establishments and
other communities will only continue and get better with time. The Museum is going to keep
addressing and reflecting important social topics. It's going to keep educating and creating
communities within San Diego's art scene.

You can visit the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (Downtown) from 11-5pm every
day. Admissions info, website and address listed below.

1100 Kettner Boulevard

San Diego, CA 92101

General admission $10

Seniors $5
Students 26 and over (with ID) $5
25 and under free (with ID)
Military and their families free (with ID)

www.mcasd.org