well as public lectures and symposia based on subjects drawn from CEMA collections. The project also provided a series of short-term research/writing visiting scholars' fellowships that were open competitively but keyed to one or more of CEMA special collections.

Chicano visual art is a field of significant and growing interest within the University of California and among the general public. CEMA's rare archival materials have for many years supported the University's teaching curricula and various research initiatives as well as international interests.

Chicana/o aesthetic and cultural studies increasingly address interdisciplinarity and hybridity in visual arts, performing arts, and literature, examining the interplay of many types of Chicana/o cultural expression. Teaching, research and nationally touring exhibitions and publications related to Chicano art have all escalated.

Locally, CEMA maintains a world-class cultural and scholarly resource in Chicano visual arts through its extensive archives and manuscript holdings. Its forty-three collections in this field are of national and international historic and artistic significance.

According to CEMA director Sal Güereña, a considerable investment had been made to acquire, process, and make these valuable materials accessible. Until now, interpretive content had primarily been provided through finding aids to the collections. CEMA has made many thousands of digitized visual arts materials accessible via the Internet through the CDL's Calisphere website. However, much work remained to be done, such as documenting works lacking identifications, providing context and teasing out new insights and new interpretive texts that will lead to a better understanding about the rich array of subjects in these collections.

The UCSB Research Working Group on Chicano Visual Arts consisted of the following individuals: Salvador Güereña (California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, Special Collections Department, Davidson Library); Dr. Carl Gutierrez-Jones (Center for Chicano Studies and English); Dr. Maria Herrera-Sobek (Chicana and Chicano Studies), Dr. George Lipsitz (Black Studies), Dr. Carlos Morton (Theater and Dance), and Dr. Cristina Venegas (Film and Media Studies).

A national advisory board advised and provided guidance to the project, including Emmy-award-winning actor and film producer Hector Elizondo, Chicano/Latino art scholar Dr. Adriana Katzew of the University of Vermont, and acclaimed playwright and Teatro Campesino founder Luis Valdez.


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