58 HIGHLIGHT JUDITH BACA MURAL STUDY I have always known the value of art as a tool for trans- formation both personal and political. What I have had to learn through being attentive to my own curiosities and artistic focus, is that I choose often to use land as my method of recording memories and stories in my paintings and murals. —Judith Baca The story of SCMA’s newly acquired Judith Baca mural study is as colorful and textured as the work itself. Georgianna Bray Erskine ’54 was looking to make a meaningful gift to the museum in memory of her friend, distinguished curator and collector Eudorah Morse Moore ’40. In close collaboration with the curatorial staff, and in honor of her community as well as Eudie’s love of Latin American art, Georgie selected this work by Southern Californian Chicana artist Baca. Baca founded the first City of Los Angeles Mural Program in 1974, which has evolved into a community arts organization known as the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), creating sites of public memory for more than 40 years. Her ongoing public art initiatives reflect the lives and concerns of populations that have been his- torically disenfranchised, including women, the working poor, youth, the elderly, LGBT individuals and immigrant communities. This recently acquired work by a contempo- rary female muralist complements the collection—which includes frescoes by Rufino Tamayo and Diego Rivera— reflects Smith’s ongoing commitment to social justice. Works such as Baca’s mural for the Central American Resource & Education Center (CARECEN), the first significant public work created in Los Angeles about the migration of Central Americans to the Pico Union district of L.A., represent partnerships with community groups seeking to make visible the issues affecting their communities. SCMA’s recently acquired study for the full-scale mural is a hand-painted and digital image on canvas measuring 4 feet by 5 feet. The acquisition represents a wonderful partnership between the museum and a visionary alumna driven by the desire to remember a dear friend in a way that would have lasting value. ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS