The project features visiting artists in residency. These are artists whose papers are housed in CEMA. What distinguishes these artist residencies from most others is that the focus of these artists is not studio art work, but rather to engage the artist in producing new narratives, to add valuable documentation and context to historically important materials in their respective collections. The artists compose new texts, artist statements, and assist guest curators with planning exhibitions of their work. They will also give public lectures and classroom presentations, and/or write interpretive texts to be published through the project.

The first artist to arrive was San Francisco based Yolanda Lopez who was in residence at UCSB from May 21 to June 16, 2007. She provided much needed documentation and context to her donated collection, including identifying thousands of artists’ slides and documentary photographs of San Francisco’s Galeria de la Raza and of cultural events taking place in the Mission District. The artist also participated in an evening tertulia with faculty and graduate students. Dr. Guisela Latorre engaged those present in a lively conversation with the artist.

Project graduate student Cristina Serna conducted oral history interviews with the artist as part of a research project connected to ImaginArte, and the artist gave a compelling, illustrated lecture on her "Guadalupe Series" art work to 500 students studying about Chicano culture. The interviews and lecture were recorded and will be made available as streaming audio on this site.