La Linea: 22 Years of Grupo Soap Corazon at Plains Art Museum
Fargo, N.D. – Plains Art Museum announces its next exhibition, La Línea: 22 Years of Grupo Soap del Corazón, running from Monday, February 28 through Saturday, August 13, 2022, in the Museum’s William and Anna Schlossman Gallery.
The exhibition commemorates the diversity of expression and longevity of a group that has already brought forth exhibitions such as El Otro Americano, Frontera Lake Street, El Milagro, Gráfica Politica, Ni Una Mas (spotlight on the 370 plus disappeared and murdered women of Juarez, Mexico), and Espiritus. Exhibited works in the La Línea (The Line) includes new work by Camilo Eduardo Aguirre, Ricardo Bennett-Guzmán, Jim Denomie, Luis Fitch, Eric Garcia, Ruthann Godollei, Martin Esteban Gonzalez, Gustavo Lira, Bobby Marines, Lela Pierce, Dougie Padilla, Marcela Rodriguez Aguilar (“Amaru”), Susana Andrea Villalobos Sakr, María Cristina Tavera, and Xavier Tavera. Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota is the first event scheduled for La Línea: 22 Years of Grupo Soap del Corazón, followed by exhibitions at the MMAA in St. Paul, MN, and the Anderson Center for the Arts in Red Wing, MN.
With a roster of over 95 established visual artists, poets, writers, musicians, activists, and visionaries, Grupo Soap del Corazón, led by Dougie Padilla and Xavier Tavera, is one of the longest-running Latinx artist groups in the country. As a dynamic collaboration, they have infused culture, passion, and spirit into the northern plains and the USA’s art scene for more than 20 years. With work that sometimes confronts sociopolitical issues, or celebrates the joy of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), or provides much-needed human connection, Grupo Soap del Corazόn has generated both publicity and critical acclaim by electrifying the Latinx artistic voice. In 2009, the group created spectacle, wonder, and celebration through the creation of steamroller prints at Plains Art Museum – an event that resulted in works in the Museum’s permanent collection.
On Thursday March 10, the public is invited to attend a panel talk discussing issues of representation and creative placemaking with Grupo Soap Del Corazón from 6 – 7 pm and join Museum staff and exhibiting artists afterward for the Winter Party until 9 pm. Admission to the Winter Party is $10 or $5 for students and free for members. Tickets are available at https://one.bidpal.net/winterparty22/welcome.
Plains Art Museum is the largest art museum in the Dakotas and Western Minnesota. It is general admission free and educationally-focused thanks to strong and growing support from over 800 households and businesses. The Museum manages a permanent collection of over 4,000 objects, organizes and presents dozens of annual exhibitions, facilitates public art projects, and leads over 200 educational programs and experiences for all ages each year. The Museum, and its Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity, are located at 704 First Avenue North in downtown Fargo. For more information about visiting or supporting your art museum, visit plainsart.org.
IMAGE: Luis Fitch, They wanted to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seed, 2019, mixed media on canvas, 36 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist
