Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Willie Herrón

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.herron00
Creators:
Herrón, Willie, 1951-
Rangel, Jeffrey J.
Dates:
2000 Feb. 5-Mar. 17
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
7 Sound cassettes
Sound recording (6 hrs.)
analog
109 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Willie Herrón conducted 2000 Feb. 5-Mar. 17, by Jeffrey J. Rangel, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
The interviews took place in a restaurant, City Terrace, East Los Angeles, Calif. Herrón describes his childhood growing up in East Los Angeles, culminating with an extensive discussion of the circumstances surrounding the painting of his most acclaimed mural, "The Wall that Cracked Open" in City Terrace; founding the avant-garde Chicano art group Asco along with Harry Gamboa, Jr., Patssi Valdez, and Gronk; his experience as leader of the band Los Illegals and as a cofounder of the alternative music space Club Vex with Self Help Graphics' Sister Karen Boccalero; the Chicano mural movement, particularly his undertakings in City Terrace, Boyle Heights, and at the Estrada Courts and Ramona Gardens housing projects in East Los Angeles; his commitment to working with at-risk youth and his strong desire to expand the stylistic and iconographic parameters of the medium through the incorporation of graffiti; and an assessment of Asco's role in expanding the continuum of Chicano art and identity.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Willie Herrón (1951-) is a painter, graphic artist, muralist, and musician from Los Angeles, Calif. Herrón is known as one of the premiere artists and musicians to emerge out of the Chicano arts movement during the 1970s.

Administration

Sponsor
The digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview and transcription provided by the SI Latino Fund of 1997.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art and music Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graffiti art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Street art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano art movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gronk, 1954- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asco (Group of artists) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
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