I want to start by thanking my colleague Cloe Medrano, registrar at the Roswell Museum, for writing last month’s From the Vault column about an artwork by Ila Mae McAfee, currently on display in the Roswell Museum’s Patricia Gaylord Anderson Gallery, for the exhibition “Here & Near: Surrounding Brilliance.” This month, I would like to focus on artwork by contemporary artist Dominick Porras in his upcoming solo exhibition “Silvery Synthesis.” The following quotes of Porras stem from an e-mail exchange between him and myself.

Dominick Porras draws from his multicultural background and lived experience as an interdisciplinary Chicano/Coahuiltec artist to channel inspiration from personal memories and cultural collectivity. He uses a broad array of artistic mediums, from photography to digital media to immersive installations, to unite and intersect community activism through art. In a statement for a 2023 exhibition, Porras wrote, “With an upbringing aligned around Chicano activism and Indigenous solidarity between California and Texas, I honor the legacies of several influential communities as part of my cosmovision.

“Immersed in the milieu of older Chicano artists during my formative years, I imbibed the ethos of Rasquachismo — a philosophy rooted in the art of being resourceful and creatively utilizing whatever materials are at hand or readily accessible,” Porras said. “This ethos became a guiding principle for me, instilling a profound sense of creativity borne out of necessity.”

Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto coined the term "rasquachismo" in his 1989 essay, “Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility.” As writer Natasha Lopez explained in the article “Rasquachismo: The Art of Resourcefulness” on Oct. 3, 2023, on the website of "Sustainable Baddie," “Rasquachismo comes from the word rasquache, the English form of the Mexican-Spanish word 'rascuache,' originating from Nahuatl. 'Rasquache' means poor or vulgar.” The term rasquache was originally used in Chicano communities in the U.S. and Mexican communities as a derogatory slur linking poorer people with a “tacky” design aesthetic, as seen by elitists. More recently, the term has been reappropriated by artists and others in working-class communities as a point of pride.

“The Barrio I called home,” Porras said, “served as an invaluable teacher, imparting lessons in resourcefulness and instilling in me the ability to reimagine materials as a continuous thread in the fabric of artistic expression.”

Rasquache is an aesthetic of resourcefulness that uses readily accessible materials, often those that have been discarded, such as making sculptures out of bed frames or creating and cultivating gardens using repurposed rubber tires. Porras explains that Rasquachismo “is not merely a personal choice but is deeply intertwined with indigeneity as a whole. It serves as a testament to the volumetric resonance of the creative spirit that Indigenous people retain — a spirit that transcends boundaries and echoes through generations.”

As a celebration of aesthetically upcycling discarded materials, Rasquachismo is more than simply “making do” with what’s at hand. It not only describes how individuals adorn spaces with detritus embellished with personal and cultural style, it is also a symbol of resistance to cultural assimilation, sociopolitical marginalization, and economic exploitation.

“In embracing Rasquachismo,” Porras says, “I find myself participating in a lineage of artistic expression that predates contemporary movements. This philosophy fosters a symbiotic relationship between my artistic practice and the environment I inhabit, perpetuating a tradition of repurposing and reclaiming materials. Through this intentional and mindful approach, my work becomes a celebration of the resilience embedded in Indigenous cultures, an ode to the Indigenous ways in which communities have thrived amidst challenges.”

In his solo exhibition at the Roswell Museum, Porras exhibits recent work from a range of artistic mediums, including photography, sculpture and digital media. These works are united by the artist’s individual approach to Rasquachismo as well as his reflections on personal and communal memories. In his "Silvery Synthesis" works, Porras explains, “I have incorporated a rasquache aesthetic by employing netting on abandoned silkscreen frames and repurposing 35mm film cassettes into sculptural works … . Silver is both a color and precious metal (Ag is the elemental symbol for silver). It is also the active element in photography that is chemically altered to react as a light sensitive emulsion. As the silver halides (AgX) interact with photochemistry, a type of rusting occurs, which produces silvery tonal ramps, resulting in a reflective and shimmery quality that the silver inherits. Alas, silvering is reflective of the aging process in both photography and existence.”

The artist acknowledges that photography, like all other artistic mediums, generates waste. In true Rasquachismo fashion, Porras has transformed the detritus from analog photography into sculptures and components of art installations. His methodology of rematerializing is driven by inspiration he finds in tools rendered obsolete and the challenge of making something new to inspire others.

Porras describes his work as “rooted in cultural and social practice where oral histories, global Indigenous solidarity building and community art creation provide a framework for (his) more personal and experimental processes.”

Currently living in Sacramento, California, he completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Studio Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in 2023. Porras has been active as a community artist for the past 17 years, working with various art media, from textiles to murals. In 2005, he co-founded Sol Collective, a community center and cultural hub in Sacramento that works to amplify unheard voices through a range of initiatives, from wellness programs to art exhibitions, where he is currently serving as an archivist and artist-in-residence. Porras has contributed his film and photographic sense since 2010 as a creative for On Native Ground, a Hoopa Tribal non-profit media organization in California dedicated to producing and disseminating positive and uplifting films about Native peoples. He was awarded a 2023-2024 Youth Speaks Emerging Artist Fellowship and is a 2024 artist-in-residence in the visual arts residency program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Porras has exhibited his work in numerous exhibitions at venues including the David Brower Center in Berkeley, La Mecha Contemporary Gallery in El Paso, the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in Seattle, the Sacramento History Museum in California, SOMA Arts Gallery American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco and Strata Santa Fe Art Gallery in New Mexico, among others.

His show “Silvery Synthesis” at the Roswell Museum is the artist’s first solo exhibition at a museum since receiving his MFA. Porras will deliver an artist talk on June 14 at 5:30 p.m., followed by an opening reception, both free and open to the public. The exhibition is on display in the museum’s entry gallery from June 15 to Aug. 18. For more information about the artist, visit dominick-porras.webflow.io and his Instagram page @celestial_coyotl.

For more information about the Roswell Museum, visit roswellmuseum.org.