Artwork

Collections Menu
Advanced Search
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the artist.

Emma in the Pecan Blossoms

San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the artist.
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the artist.

Emma in the Pecan Blossoms

Artist: (American, born 1943)
Date: 2024
Dimensions:
Image: 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm)
Sheet: 44 1/8 × 27 7/8 in. (112.1 × 70.8 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the artist
Object number: 2024.23
Copyright: © Amalia Mesa-Bains
Provenance: Amalia Mesa-Bains (b. 1943), by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 2024.
Label Text
Depicted among lush pecan tree foliage is the San Antonio-born labor leader and activist Emma Tenayuca. Behind her are the bars of a Bexar County jail cell. This image is based on a photograph published in 1937 in the ‘San Antonio Light’ newspaper after Tenayuca was arrested during a labor protest. Among other achievements, Tenayuca is known for leading the 1938 San Antonio Pecan Shellers Strike. The artist, Amalia Mesa-Bains, creates layered prints and installations in homage to women that celebrate Chicana history and culture.

Aquí vemos a Emma Tenayuca, la líder sindical y activista nacida en San Antonio, retratada entre el exuberante follaje de unos nogales. Detrás de ella, se ven las barras de una celda de la cárcel del condado de Bexar. Esta imagen se basa en una fotografía publicada en 1937 en el periódico ‘San Antonio Light’ después de que Tenayuca fuera arrestada durante una protesta obrera. Entre otros logros, Tenayuca es conocida por liderar la huelga de los peladores de nuez de San Antonio en 1938. La artista, Amalia Mesa-Bains, crea impresiones en capas e instalaciones en homenaje a las mujeres que celebran la historia y la cultura chicana.

(LSM, 2024)

On view


The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.