May 26, 2001

Subject: your tasteless exploitation of God
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 10:36:14 +1000
From: "Maria Ana Corpuz" <anacorpuz@hotmail.com>
To: almalopez@earthlink.net

I am sure you think you have succeeded in buying fame......maybe, but at what cost? You have just sold your soul to the devil. Obviously, you do not know the symbolism of the Virgin Mary...does the artwork depict her as a Virgin? Does the Bible say that she is a strong, independent woman in that way you used her? Strength for a start does not have to be displayed by baring your body....that really has no connection! I recommend that you go back to the Bible and try to listen to what God has to tell you about being strong and independent. The Bible says that without God,we are nothing. So can you please justify what sort of independence you mean to say here? I can see what you really mean is free of guilt, shameless and without a moral nor social conscience...GODLESS in short. By all means paint a nude, but do not dare use the name of Holy people or objects just to achieve your moment of fame!


If there is any decency left in you, it is not too late to make amends. Even Mary Magdalene was forgiven...actually even if it was Mary Magdalene depicted, the concept will not do her justice. She rejected sin and turned to God after she was forgiven and became one of the most loyal follower of Jesus.

My God, forgive them for they do not know what they do!

 

Subject: [AztlanNet: ARTS|LETTERS] To KILL WHAT CANNOT BE KILLED
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 00:50:55 +0000
From: Octavio Romano <oromano@tqsbooks.com>
Reply-To: AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com
Organization: TQS Publications
To: lista@www.azteca.net, AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com

TO KILL WHAT CANNOT BE KILLED

In the year 2001, some people, mainly from California, with the aid of California artist, Alma Lopez, and the administrative staff of the New Mexico Museum of International Folk Arts, tried to kill La Virgen de Guadalupe, the apparition that became sacred to the people of Mexico, just as Tonantzin, the indigenous goddess, had been sacred, and whom the Catholic Spaniards had also tried to kill, and failed.


Efforts to kill the sacred of others, wherever it may be encountered, has been the historical hallmark of the culture of the United States. And, the culture of the California Chicano/Chicana artists in their murderous inclinations in New Mexico, is a product of their own acculturated U.S. history, a history of missionary fanaticism which denies the legitimacy of all “other” beliefs in the sacred.

This denial includes the denial of the Hopi Katchinas, the Navajo Medicine way, the Sacred Eagle feather, and the sacred pipe of the Iroquois and a host of other indigenous religious icons. And leading the way in this attack against the sacred religious icons of others is the Museum of International Folk Arts in New Mexico. With their display of the death of La Virgen de Guadalupe they have, in the worst way, prostituted the concept of New Mexico Folk Arts, (with apologies to legitimate prostitutes who seem to be more ethical and also to the folk artists of New Mexico who have been used for purposes not their own.).

The Museum of International Folk Arts has tried to deprive humans of what is sacred to them. Their sole wish is to perform a third trimester abortion on the cultural soul of the Hispanos of New Mexico. This is precisely the thrust of the New Mexico Museum’s efforts to kill the Virgen de Guadalupe in the presence of their Hispano and Mexicano cultural heritage.

It is brainwashing at its most virulent, and most savage.

Octavio Romano, Ph.D. Editor
TQS Publications--

 

Subject: Re: [AztlanNet: ARTS|LETTERS] KSXY, Dorinda
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 00:25:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: gbejarano <aztlannet@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com
To: AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com

Pedro Romero Sedeno

Art is our contemporary work and thinking, it includes some history and the ability to be insightful and illuminating. Art can also be spiritual, inspiring, symbolic, innovative, popular and unpopular to the viewer. The art reflects the artist own gut feelings about the good, bad and ugly of our lives, and its human condition on Earth between Heaven and Hell, but all these concerns can never be frozen over by one's particular viewpoint without understanding the other.

And, it's better to refrain from intolerance and hate.

We will need to learn here on this AztlanNet experience and go on. Or, we are just contributing to separation, to an end lie, and a false belief.

The same holds a similar destination for the artist. You may say you are just out to protect your art, community and traditions. Fine I respect that, but to continue to complain and throw dirt is a verguenza.

Learn by this, let yourself throw the first stone against the hypocrisy that has anguish Mexico in the last 500 years, and, then I'll will understand your concept of sin, and find a way to appreciate and honor the Virgin as an living image of our people's emancipation, spirit and imagination.

gb

 

Subject: Our Lady
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 11:59:59 EDT
From: LadyJems@aol.com
To: almalopez@earthlink.net


Dear Alma,

I am writing in regards to your "Our Lady" artwork, which I think is amazing. I am a student at Oregon State University and I am currently working on a project for my Latino Ethnic Studies class that is based on your work. I was curious if there was some way I could do an interview (by email) with you, to get your perspective of the events and controversy surrounding your art? Our class would absolutly love to hear about your work for you, yourself. Please let me know if this would be at all possible. Congratulations on a lovely piece of work.

Best Reguards,

Angela Perri
Oregon State University
Latino Ethnic Studies

 

Subject: Re: [AztlanNet: ARTS|LETTERS] To KILL WHAT CANNOT BE KILLED
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 14:53:01 EDT
From: TraveisaBlue@aol.com
Reply-To: AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com
To: AztlanNet@yahoogroups.com

 

In a message dated 5/26/01 12:46:40 AM, oromano@tqsbooks.com writes:

<< Efforts to kill the sacred of others, wherever it may be encountered,
has been the historical hallmark of the culture of the United States.
And, the culture of the California Chicano/Chicana artists in their
murderous inclinations in New Mexico, is a product of their own
acculturated U.S. history, a history of missionary fanaticism which
denies the legitimacy of all â*œotherâ** beliefs in the sacred.

Dear Dr. Romano,

In all due respect to the learned Dr. you continually overlook the fantaticism practiced by those people who feel that they are solely the receipients and patrons of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Many of us, myself included feel we have as much claim to her as do our New Mexico cousins. She does not belong to only one tribe, one nation or even one continent. She is symbolic of the universal expression of love, forgiveness, mercy charity and a love for the disenfranchised. She is more than a cultural symbol and cannot be contained with in those descriptions. She expresses our culture and yet transcends it to embody the most human and universal aspect of mercy and charity.

None of the attacks made on Alma, Raquel and others reflect this philosophy. In fact they denote quite the opposite. To believe in a symbol only as an image without truly practicing the belief system behind it is only hypocrisy.

The most basic good and beauty of the Virgen can not be destroyed. It is untouchable. Therefore needs no defense. No defense against blasphemers or anyone else who may not be capable of appreciating her. Blasphemers only hurt themselves. So though I do not view Alma's work as blasphemey, even if I did I would have no reason to attack her.

Traveisa

 

Subject: Re:
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 14:02:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: leti <leti_94710@yahoo.com>
To: almalopez@earthlink.net

i read many emails on your site and others. about the prayer vigil, i think Now the church is taking advantage of this situation to establish and reestablish the church/members. its what they were supposed to do, right. +they get more power/control/trust...more $offerings+devoted people. if they want to pray, they could pray in church/at home. those who do it for the public eye, the bible calls "hypocrites."

 

Subject: Our Lady
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 19:03:28 EDT
From: Logarski@aol.com
To: almalopez@earthlink.net

Personally, this is a totally human way of looking at a woman-ANY WOMAN.Ilove it! I also find the biased opinions of male figures in the church to be just that-biased male opinions!

Thank you Ms Lopez for your beautiful insight!

Heidi Logar
logarski@aol.com

 

Subject: Our lady
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 18:00:03 -0600 (MDT)
From: pauljara@nmsu.edu
To: almalopez@earthlink.net

Dear Ms. Lopez,

I would first like to ask you, why have the supporters of feminism become so fixated on the issue of sex? The feminist movement originally had admirable goals like the right to vote and equal pay for women.

Soon after the movement has fallen into supporting various life styles that should be a private issue. Why do you think that showing women in barely or any clothing at all is an empowering symbol.

Our lady is a symbol of purity. Why do you think that women who want to be modest or are portayed as being modestlty dressed as being oppression. What is so opressive about retaining your dignity?

I think women are more than just sex objects, they are a symbol of goodness. women have always supported me in my life and I feel that women should be more than just an object of lust. They are the life givers and rational thinking people when men want to fight and hurt people around them.

Men have disrespected women for a very long time and a number of the feminists have fallen into the trap that being fixated on lustful things is good and that modesty is opression.

Is it such a good isea to be lustful and nasty like men have been for thousands of years?

Feminists have this fantasy that being a man has its privlleges and that their lives are so great. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Men are dangerous people to have to deal with, especially if you are a man yourself.

Men will not hesitate to kill each other to gain glory in wars.

The higher the stack of bodies of other men they stand on, the more glory they receive.

Why do women want to be like men? Don't we want to become a more civilized society?

When I see our lady I feel a sense of innocence that has been lost to a society seeped in lust and crudity.

I sense her pure love that trancends the futile demands of the flesh that don't give a person the real love a person needs to feed the soul.

Lust is like a fire that is never satisfied and only destroys a person.

Try to transcend the things of the flesh and understand that people admire our lady for her purity and pure love, that is more than that of lust, she is a healer of many souls and they see her as a way to reach their God because of her loving soul.

Try to see their point of view before throwing out your narrow vision of the world through radical feminist theology. Our Lady means too much to many people to be confined to the dictates of just a few people.

Women need to be respected as whole human beings and not as just sex objects or the narrow foccus of people who think of nothing but their own lustful agendas. Women will not be equal as long as they are seen in such a narrow foccus, like the way you show women, women whose only mission in life is to be naked or to promote an alternative life style or any life style.

Humans are more than just sex, we must foccus on all the suffering in the world. So many people have little or nothing to eat. Many people have died of terrible wars.

Open your eyes to what is really happeing in our world and stop being fixated on sex, we already have people who are fixated on that, they are called men.

Art is my favorite subject and I will foccus my attention of the plight of the palstinian people and all of the people of the world who have no peace and whose human rights are trampled on everyday.

Thank you for reading my letter, I feel very strongly that we must return to innocence for the sake of humanity that is being dehumanized by big money interests and chauvinism.

Pablo Jose Jaramillo
pauljara@nmsu.edu