We already have a Space Force...it's Project:MASA-IV

The Project:MASA Exhibit Series 2005—07 (I, II & III) featured latino artists from across the nation who use cosmic iconography to comment on Meztizo issues, culture, and/or the Chicano consciousness while melding together the old with the new.

The long awaited fourth installment of the exhibit series will continue both serious and satirical approaches to contemporary events dealing with immigration, identity, and social justice, as they relate to “Chican@ Space” at a national and cosmic level.

The Project:MASA exhibit series was featured in the book Altermundos: Latin@ Speculative Literature, Film and Popular Culture. by Cathryn Josefina Merla-Watson Phd., & B. V. Olguín Phd. —UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2017. It was published as part of the Volume 4 of the Aztlán anthology series in Chicano Studies.

About the book: “Speculative fiction--encompassing both science fiction and fantasy--has emerged as a dynamic field within Chicana/o and Latina/o studies, producing new critical vocabularies and approaches to topics that include colonialism and modernity, immigration and globalization, race and gender. As the first collection engaging Chicana/o and Latina/o speculative cultural production, Altermundos: Latin@ Speculative Literature, Film, and Popular Culture provides a comprehensive alternative to the view of speculative fiction as a largely white, male, Eurocentric, and heteronormative genre. It features original essays from more than twenty-five scholars as well as interviews, manifestos, short fiction, and new works from Chicana/o and Latina/o artists”.

The documentation of the previous three Project:MASA exhibitions has given a voice and platform to participating artists of the local and national Latino community. This facilitated the presentation of their work as part of the Mundos Alternos Art and Science Fiction in the Americas exhibit sponsored by the Getty Foundation ARTBlock, UC Riverside CA, on 2016-17 and subsequently the Queens Museum in Queens NY and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in Manhattan NY in 2018-19.

Project:MASA-IV Exhibition will be held at the Centro de Artes in in San Antonio's historic Market Square and is scheduled to run from July 23, 2020 through January 22, 2021. The idea behind Project:MASA-IV 2020 exhibit is to affect change by continuing discussions, educating and bringing together the community around ideals of social justice and inclusiveness through cosmic awareness, the use of science fiction, science and social/political satire.

The group includes Jonathan Anderson, Ricky Armendariz, Jose Balli, Andy Benavides, Cat Cisneros, George Cisneros, Pepe Coronado, Jose Cosme, Celeste De Luna, Juan C. Escobedo, Jose Esquivel, Yareth Fernandez, Juan Flores, L.A. David, Xavier Garza, Brandy Gonzalez, Suzy Gonzalez, Luis ‘Chispas’ Guerrero, Hector Hernández, Mari Hernandez, Paul Karam, Deborah Kuetzpal-Vasquez, Alex Macias, Mark Anthony Martinez, Michael Menchaca, Victor Payan, Pocha Pena, David Rice, Mary Agnes Rodriguez, Anna Lilia Salinas, Raul Servin, Sonya Mari Sky, Luis Valderas, Robert Wilkens, Liliana Wilson, Terry Ybanez, Guillermina Zabala, David Zamora Casas.

The artist talk/book talk and catalog release will feature authors Claudia Zapata Phd., Cathryn Merla-Watson Phd., Ben Olguin Phd. and curators Robb Hernández Phd., and Tyler Stallings Phd. that will be writing about the exhibit and the artists under the lens of their research and current publications.

The July 23rd 2020 6pm Opening Evening Event will feature an installation ceremony for the new Secretary of Space Cindy Valderas by the retiring Secretary, Victoria Moctezuma Valderas.

The first official action by the newly installed Secretary of Space will be to issue MASA-Portes. These are passports to space and proof of. They will be merit based, requiring only that the applicant own and wear a cosmic outfit or a space suit to the event. The public is invited to participate.

The articles of clothing are meant to represent the outside skin that people have to develop and wear in order to navigate social and cultural spaces. This resulting Cosmic Outfit/Space Suit Couture will be the subject of a future Project:MASA exhibit.

Opening night will include a photograph station for participants wearing cosmic outfits or space suits. Anyone present in a cosmic outfit or space suit can submit an agreement to participate in a future curated exhibit of the Cosmic Outfits/Space Suit Couture from attendees that evening.

Preparing for the Mission — Cosmic Outfit/Space Suit Couture Workshops

Leading up to the opening event will be a series of Cosmic Outfit/Space Suit Workshops to be held in locations around the city of San Antonio. These workshops will introduce and review the History of Space Suits, the future of Space Suits as well as the form and function of cosmic ceremonial outfits. Participants will also be introduced to simple costume design concepts and practices in order to plan and begin making their own cosmic outfits and space suits for the July 23rd Ceremonies.