The Scarab Club beams are like a passport to the art world signed by highly respected artists. The likes of Isamu Noguchi, Diego Rivera, Charles McGee, Marcel Duchamp, Leroy Foster, and Margaret Bourke-White have signed the ceiling and side beams of the art club’s second-floor lounge, which serve as a permanent guest book. But in the nearly 100 years since the club found a home on Farnsworth Street, no Latina artist signed the beams — until now.
Multi-media artist Nora Chapa Mendoza will become the first Latina to sign a Scarab Club beam on Friday, Oct. 13 when her Stages of a Life: A Retrospective exhibit opens at the gallery.
It seems remarkable that in all those years, no Latina artist has been given the honor of signing the famed Scarab Club Beams. But we’re honestly not surprised, as it was a men-only club until 1962, and women artists of color are often excluded from so-called prestigious art spaces. Mendoza’s exhibit was curated by Dalia Reyes, who came on board as the Scarab Club’s Gallery Director earlier this year. Since taking on her new role, Reyes has been intentional about having more Latina artists like Dayana Juarez show work at the Scarab Club. It’s another case study of why representation is important in all spaces because it often takes another person of color to see and appreciate our contributions.
At 91 years old, Mendoza is still contributing to the art world as a strong voice for the Latino community. Stages of a Life: A Retrospective includes work across a wide range of mediums including paintings, paper mache reliefs, assemblages, and mixed media. Her work is sometimes compared to Frida Kahlo’s “introspective style,” often serving as a diary of her life experiences.
Mendoza was born to Mexican parents in Weslaco, Texas, and relocated to Michigan in 1953 to pursue her art career. She studied at Madonna University in Livonia and was mentored by Michigan painters Richard Koslow and Ljubo Biro. Throughout her long career, her work has taken on both abstract and realism styles. It is often rooted in activism with works tackling civil rights, indigenous identity, fair labor practices, and advocating for migrant workers.
She also delved into mural and restoration work and was one of eight artists to participate in the renovation of Detroit’s Music Hall. She received the Michigan Artist of the Year and Governor’s Award in 1999. Mendoza is also a certified elder in Kanto de la Tierra, an intertribal council devoted to praying for the healing of the Earth.
True to the exhibition’s name, one painting depicts a young woman through several stages of life, worn with knowing eyes as she ages, and encapsulated by a skull with death as the ultimate chance for transformation restarting the cycle of life. She shows that life is our greatest teacher and we have something worthy to offer in every state of being. Mendoza is shining and celebrated in this stage of her life. Hopefully, she’s only the first, and not the last Latina to gift the Scarab Club beams with her wisdom.
The beam signing will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday during the exhibit’s opening reception.
Where to see her work: Stages of a Life: A Retrospective will be on display at the Scarab Club until Nov.11. A gallery talk is scheduled for Oct. 26 at 6 p.m.; 217 Farnsworth St., Detroit; scarabclub.org.
@metrotimes This video was made possible through grant funding from Arts Midwest.
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