Participating Organizations

In the early 1970's, a great wave of art, public mural painting, music, written media including poetry, and electronic media production began flourishing in San Francisco’s Latino/a Mission neighborhood. Concurrently, issues of criminal justice, housing, education, health care, jobs, women’s rights, politics between the United States and Lt. America, and immigration were matter around which the community organized for racial and economic equality.

In 1973, against this social panorama, a group of young Chicana/Latina women (self-named Mujeres de Aztlan/Women of Aztlan) lived and worked in the Mission community and collaborated with several community non-profits. These included 24th Street Place, a community children’s tutorial center, which evolved into the Balmy Alley public murals project. Collaborating with Galería de la Raza, a community art space, they produced a Third World Women's Art Exhibition (Oct. 1973). It was the first documented women's art exhibit at Galería.

Women of Aztlan Ana Montano, Sara Ortiz and Mercedes Soberon sought to break discriminatory barriers within local mainstream media. They approached Mission Mediarts who produced community television programs for KQED, a PBS affiliate and asked them to train Latina women in media production. Because of the Women's interest in the convergence of the arts, Latina feminism and Latino culture, they agreed to begin filming the early mural artists in the Mission district. Filming included Graciela Carrillo, Luis Cortazar, Tony Machado, Consuelo Mendez, Richard Montez, Irene Perez, Michael Rios, Domingo Rivera, Patricia Rodriguez.

Soon, they incorporated into the Mission Film Workshop, Inc. and were supported by the Zellerbach Foundation. Women of Aztlan were then accepted, by their other media partner NABET Local 51, into their film apprenticeship program. With mentorship by NABET member, Emiko Omori, they produced a short film on the early Mission neighborhood murals. The film aired on KVIE, a PBS station, in 1976.

Themes and topics filmed by Mission Film Workshop include community activism against the Bakke legal case (anti-affirmative action), demonstrations supporting Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the civil strife in El Salvador. Types of activities include Latino/a community cultural events, outdoor musical performances and poetry reading. Other film rolls include community people in everyday street life including many small businesses established by immigrants.
The date range for the materials is 1973-1978.