Year of La Chicana graphic

We are Colorado

Year of La Chicana

A partnership between History Colorado and the El Movimiento Community Advisory Committee, Year of La Chicana celebrates and honors La Chicana past, present and future and shares her story with a wide range of audiences.

During this year we are working with community to connect the core issues of the Chicano movement with present day issues of social justice, identity and inclusion.

Want to find out more about incredible Chicanas of Colorado? Check out our crowdsourced Year of La Chicana biography book here.

"The Movement Makers" on That's What She Did podcast

The Movement Makers Panel is the culmination of History Colorado’s yearlong initiative “Year of La Chicana”. This community-driven programming was a directive born out of a desire to honor Chicanas - past, present, and future and to share their stories with a wide range of communities. It was featured in a pre-season special on the podcast That's What she Did.

Arlette Lucero was selected by the El Movimiento Advisory Committee to be the Artist in Residence at History Colorado Center. She is a Denver native who grew up surrounded by the Chicano movement. Arlette earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from CSU in Fort Collins and has taught art education for over twenty years. She is a current member of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council of Denver. 

Arlette says, “My paintings and sculptures are visual poetic expressions of my emotions, feeling and desires. Using a combination of realism, symbolism and vibrant colors, I try to capture the sensual mystery of my original concept. My pieces are illustrations of stories, poems, and personal obsessions. As a woman, I love to paint beautiful women of timeless ages in endless time. They are the Goddesses of many cultures or simple mothers.”

Arlette will be painting on-site on the second floor niches at the History Colorado Center through mid-September. She'll create three large murals in honor of three Chicanas selected by the El Movimiento committee. She will also be including a community photo collage of additional Chicanas.