"Pentimento" is the first public event presented by Joaquin Lopez, who currently serves as Creative Laureate for the City of Portland. He and Leila Haile were designated as co-Creative Laureates by Commissioner Carmen Rubio to serve for the 2021-2023 cycle.
For his first public presentation, Joaquin has partnered with the Multnomah Arts Center (MAC), a program of Portland Parks & Recreation that offers year-round affordable arts education located in Southwest Portland.
In developing Pentimento, Joaquin states, “It is important for me to elevate the voices of our elders. I believe we have a great deal to learn from listening to those who have walked before us, who hold our stories, and who have paved the way for today’s activists to make a difference in this world.”
Linda Jaramillo will reflect on the little girl who grew up in a rural community and endured racial segregation at school. She will speak about the inspiration for reclaiming her Latino identity and relearning Spanish in middle adulthood, which ultimately led her to work in advocating for the Latino community today. Linda Jaramillo is the Coordinator of Unid@s for Oregon, a Latino Network leadership program. She is also a management and leadership consultant, utilizing her professional education and experience to support nonprofit organizations. She has over 45 years of program and executive management experience working with religious, nonprofit, and government programs in Oregon, regionally, nationally, and globally.
“It is very important to be the authors of our own story even though it can be risky to place ourselves in a vulnerable position,” Linda explains, “I am deeply grateful to Joaquin Lopez, who has created safe and brave space for me to remember and share who I am. I hope to inspire today’s generation of activists to courageously share in the journey we hold in common.”
Pentimento will feature musician Gerardo Calderon on guitar, youth actor Emma Fonseca, and Joaquin Lopez, who together will perform music, songs, and poetry throughout the presentation to respond and elevate Linda’s story. Audience members interested in personal reflection will be offered journals or access to acrylic paints to reflect and express their own thoughts and feelings while they listen.
Pentimento is inspired by the book "Siblings by Choice: Race, Gender, and Violence" by Dr. Archie Smith and Ursula Riedel-Pfaifflin. In the art world, pentimento is the change made during the creative process by a painter before finishing a piece of work, which over time, becomes transparent showing their previous brush strokes.
Joaquin Lopez is a performing artist, musician, presenter, and mental health counselor whose work is grounded in personal healing, transformation, creativity, and Latino Queer identity. For more information about him visit JoaquinLopezMusic.com or AffectusCounseling.com.
For media interviews or more information about Pentimento, please write him at Joaquin.Lopez@portlandoregon.gov or call (503) 865-6917.
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, September 10 & 11 at 2 PM. The length of time is about 90 minutes.
WHERE: Multnomah Arts Center (Ballroom), 7688 Southwest Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219
TICKETS are free, available through Eventbrite.