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The Guadalupe: MudKing can't clean up the mess


My good sources tell me that Russell Felan, Mud King Extraordinario, will be voted on tonight, April 10th, at the Guadalupe Theatre as the newest boardmember. There's something too about Mike de la Garza getting on the board, though I don't know who he is.

Don't quote me, but I've also heard that both men are connected to Maria
Elena Torralba-Alonso, via family or corporate ties. She's the one
who got the Guadalupe into the mess they're in today. IF they are
connected, this is bad news.

In a conversation just now with Councilwoman Patti Radle, she expressed her frustrations with the Guadalupe Cultural Center, but stopped short of taking the steps necessary to force the Guadalupe Board to resign.

Look, the Guadalupe Cultural Center is in deep debt and deeper denial. Program-stifling, board-silencing, macho-armoring, dinero problems. (Long story, review my past blogs if you want.) At this point, unless the community marches down Guadalupe Avenue, (during Fiesta Week?), I don't think anything new or positive is going to happen. Correction: Nothing good is gonna happen. MudKing has to raise dollars to just pay off the debt. We already know the Board doesn't care about the community, they're trying to save their reputations at this point.

Here's the answer: There's plenty of talent outside the Guadalupe. Let's create our own CineFestival, BookFair, all that we want, cause it's not gonna happen at the Guadalupe. I know how, so do you. Are you game? If we don't, Henry Munoz and the Alameda and other non-profits will continue to siphon the dollars away from the Guadalupe...and who can blame them.

So the Guadalupe has Juan Tejeda and the Conjunto Festival. Too late, too tarde to save the Guadalupe. Juan can't do it by himself.

Photo Credit: www.nado.org
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Comments

pachuca said…
The common thread here my friends is that money and power. As long as a publicly funded organization has feria to hire la prima or to give a contract to el compadre the purpose of the organization is not going to focus on the arts or the people's will. As long as we believe that the government or coporations owe us the funds to perform or create we are going to get jacked. Neither entity gives a damn about accurate depictions, fairness or equality. They want accountability but they are also afraid of us. They don;t know us and they don't trust us and they don't undeerstand us. hell, we don't understand ourselves!
my advice, be realistic. Reduce the space of the Guadalupe, focus, focus, focus on all things Chicano. Keep the champagne outta there-let the museo present the pan latino experience, which to my way of thinking is like saying that we are of a different species, but that is another post.
Ultimately the only successful endeavor is the privately owned one,like Gallista. That gallery will remain functional and successful.
1:36 PM
beeyourwine said…
What is the deal with Mike Dela Garza?
9:59 PM
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