By: Dani Nalangan and Jennifer Cuevas

Through the arts, Marvella Muro strives to uplift the work of local artists, from the obscure to the iconic, and create opportunities to exhibit their work and share their creativity with the public. You could say she pops the Boyle Heights bubble that challenges us to explore the breadth of work of Latinx artists, that goes beyond Frida Kahlo and the Virgen de Guadalupe.

An East L.A. native, SHG’s Director of Artistic Programs and Education has worked her entire career bringing the arts to neighborhoods on the Eastside and beyond—from LACMA to the USC Pacific Asia Museum, from East Los Angeles, to Compton, to North Hollywood. 

As someone from a different area and cultural background, I was initially nervous to speak with someone so ingrained in the community. However, sitting down one-on-one with her in the empty SHG office, I felt our differences melt away as she warmly and openly spoke of bridges, of bubbles, of community, and of shared, collective experience. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Okay, so first I’m interested in your upbringing, like what it was like, where did you grow up, and what you went to school for? 

A: I was born and raised in East Los Angeles. [I] went to school in East Los Angeles, but then I also lived in Montebello and continued going to school in East Los Angeles because I was home and didn't want to not be with my friends. So I'd take the bus to and from. I'm an only child and lived with my mother, a single mother. So it was just her and I for all our lives. She passed away about nine years ago. I went to a public school, L.A. public school. And the '90s, when I was in junior high,  was very rough, difficult, and had a lot of gang violence. Therefore, I've always been on high alert, walking to and from school. And now that I live back in East Los Angeles, and it's, it's not free of crime, and there's still a lot of gang activity, but it's changed. 

I went to Cal State Fullerton not knowing what degree to pursue—my mother had an elementary school education and was a labor worker in a manufacturing job. I grew up with—since my mom worked from six in the morning to 6 p.m.—a babysitter also here in East L.A. She was like my second mom. She had just such a presence even her daughters were scared of her. Her daughters are older than I am, like my sisters, and were very influential. Going to college was not because I was excited to go but because I thought it was an obligation. "I went junior high, then to high school," and college was the next step. 

Throughout those early years, my mother was always my guide and my mentor. As an immigrant from Mexico and language being somewhat of a barrier, she was a very, very enclosed person. It was difficult for her to grow out of her shell. Yet, she would take me to different centers that she would learn about, like the arboretum—and I'm a member now just because of that memory—or going to museums. So she instilled that—those cultural centers and going to these places—from her curiosity. 

I was a waitress throughout college, working and going to school, graduating with an art history degree. I interned at different art institutions to get my foot in the field. My first art job was at the beginning of the website boom at a nonprofit called Latinart.com, an online journal of contemporary and modern Latin American art, and I was the administrator. It did not pay well, so I continued working at restaurants and volunteered at Raid Projects, an alternative artist-run space that's no longer around. Both experiences made such an impact on where I am today. Latinart.com was pivotal in introducing me to Latin American art, which I didn't learn about in school, especially contemporary artists today. It exposed me to amazing things that artists in Latin America were doing, not only within Latin America but outside and living in other countries. Although I wasn't paid well, I went to many art fairs and had the opportunity to meet so many people from different parts of the world. RaidProjects was co-founded by an artist who happened to be an old schoolmate from Cal State Fullerton. I interned there and met my husband, an artist in residence. That was a great space. It was chaotic, and there were many crazy parties, but the artists that came through those doors and the people who live(d) at the Brewery created an amazing environment. I still cherish that time and the people I met. 

I applied to grad school in Arts Administration in 2009, taking almost 10 years to identify a specific field in the arts. It was a remote program. Because of my mother, I never really ventured to live elsewhere. It was just her and I. Although I lived on my own and had my own apartment this time, I wanted to apply to schools abroad, but I didn't have the courage to do so; I didn't want to leave my mom. But I finished school in 2012. 

I will share that we were in a recession before finishing school in 2008. I was working at an art gallery at that time, and it closed. I was quickly hired by another gallery that needed support and worked with a very condescending and racist owner. It lasted about a year. After my mom became ill, I quit. After a year and a half passed, I wanted to return to work, but with the recession still dragging on, it was challenging. It took me about a year to get employed and landed at LACMA. 

Until recently, I've navigated life in survival mode, having to work multiple jobs to be independent, and live on my own, but at the same time always trying to identify ways to stay in the arts? It was constantly surviving and navigating. That was me throughout my twenties. 

Q: So I guess, you know, going to school and deciding to pursue a degree in Art History, what got you interested in the arts in the first place? Were you a practicing artist?

A: My mom taking me to these art spaces planted the seed. I do recall one event, I don't know if it was in third or fifth grade, they took us to see Cinderella the opera, and that just blew my mind. I was just enamored. Until this day, I love opera. And again, just that creativity, costumes, music, and the sounds humans produced. I took AP European history in high school, and we learned a bit about art history, and I loved it. It was just incredible. It was brand new, something very foreign to me. When I went to Cal State Fullerton, I was undeclared, and I then took an art history class, loved it, and pursued it. But one of the most significant classes I took was Exhibition Design. Exhibition design opened my eyes to this whole different world of seeing an exhibition. We learned how exhibitions are—not so much the curatorial aspect—how they are designed, how graphics complement and enhance the curator's story or the artists' work. I learned about marketing, lighting, and graphic design. It was such an important class that broadened my understanding of the different paths and opportunities one has with an art history degree. 

Q: That’s so cool. So you kind of had a full-circle moment, going to museums as a kid and then being the one designing these exhibits.

A: Yes, yes, yes. And all of this, you know, applies to all my work. Even this exhibition design class was very beneficial when I started working at art galleries or artist-run spaces. That place (Raid Projects) was not conventional; we mounted works the best we could. But the galleries were much more formal, and I worked with the art handlers. The exhibition design class taught us to build walls and install track lighting, which instilled those hard skills I continue to use. I mean, I light the shows here.

Q: So what did you like about art history specifically? Like, what kind of spoke to you about it? Or what kinds of periods did you like learning about and that really interested you? Because art history is so broad. Did you have something that inspired you?

A: So mind you, this was in the '90s. And at school, the emphasis was always on European art, especially at that time. I don't have an answer, but I just thought it was all beautiful, just how the pictures captured a moment in time. And the talent people have to execute these artworks. You also see the evolution of technique, from the flat, medieval paintings to the trompe-l'oeil and more. How the medium is used and how it evolved. And again, reflective of the tools used at the time and developed, or the scenes that capture those moments. I think about the Ashcan School from the 1930s and how they captured the American experience, as singular as that may be, especially of the European immigrants. 

I have yet to choose a favorite period. Each period, or movement, highlights the story of that time. I think that's why I love art history because I sincerely love history, research, and digging. Until now, in my later years—through experience and working in the community, I have seen how art bridges ideas and connects people from different backgrounds. It just makes the world smaller.

Q: You mentioned studying this in the ‘90s and it being very Eurocentric and stuff. I'm curious—because now you work at Self Help Graphics, which, you know, supports Chicano artists—what was your first experience learning about Chicano art and art that wasn't in the Western viewpoint?

A: Well, I'll tell you, I've never taken the Chicano art or history class. When I was at Cal State Fullerton, a friend encouraged me to learn about Chicano art, but I chose not to because I felt I would be stereotyped and didn't want to be boxed in. I subconsciously just avoided it, and that's what excited me about my first job at Latinart.com. 

As I'm older and have read and learned more, especially at SHG, I now understand a singular definition does not define the Chicano identity or ideology. In the end, I'm learning much more about this movement today. I relate and connect with some definitions, especially what it means to grow up within the East L.A. bubble and then experience predominantly white institutions. I understand the imagery depicted in SHG's prints or archives inventory. I connect with some work more than others. My coworkers always make fun of me because I'm annoyed at the number of Virgen de Guadalupe images I see. As much as this icon is ingrained in me, I have a picture of her at home; I'm like, enough with the Virgen de Guadalupe; we are so much more. 

Q: So how did you get your job here at SHG? What was your first introduction to the organization and how did you end up working here?

A: SHG was on Cesar Chavez, and my middle school was close by. I've always known about Self Help Graphics. I went to a few of the Day of the Dead events as a kid, but I did not connect with the organization afterward. Before Self Help, I worked as the Community Engagement Manager at the L.A. County Museum. And that job was also transformational. I worked offsite in the community more than at LACMA, in three different communities developing public programs for adults; North Hollywood, Compton, and here in East L.A., specifically through the partnership with the Vincent Price Museum at East L.A. College. In grad school, I took a course called Cultural Ecosystem that taught us to identify who was in the community, who was neglected, and whose stories were not told, digging deep into the history, politics, and everything you can think about in these areas. So I used all that pedagogy and research in practice. I loved it. I loved it so much and saw the impact I made. It showed me how vital the process was. 

And I'm not saying that to make less of the beautiful work created by studio artists. But work created by community members guided by or in collaboration with the artists needs to be equally recognized. It's an investment that institutions need to make beyond a grant-funded program. In any case, the grant-funded position at LACMA ended, and this position opened. It was going back home. That's the bottom line for me. 

As the Artistic Director, it is crucial to elevate our community of artists and expose our predominantly Latine community to other cultural groups or communities of artists of color to broaden our knowledge and awareness. More importantly, to elevate the shared experiences amongst communities of color and artists of color. One of the most important examples is the exhibition with Phung Huynh, the Cambodian Vietnamese artist. Several students and visitors came to see the show and expressed, "That's exactly like us," you know? The baker or the tortillero. Like the street vendors, the donut shop owners wake up early in the morning to prepare for the day. These communities, immigrant communities, work to survive and establish a better future for their children. 

So that is my goal at Self Help. It's an open space for all artists, specifically of color, but it is essential to be a space that offers opportunities to have difficult conversations, right? 

There are a lot of unique stories about Self Help that I'm still discovering, and I hear nostalgic comments about Self Help Graphics back in the '90s or earlier. But I invite you to look at everything happening today and how we work toward sustainability, inclusivity, and growth. How do we expand these ideas and the relationships between multicultural groups in this space?

Dani Nalangan is the summer/fall Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Arts Journalism and PR Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a musician and illustrator studying Musicology and Communications at UCLA.