GREELEY EXHIBIT SHOWCASES CULTURE
Rocky Mountain News ©April 25, 1993

The art of Stevon Lucero, a prolific professional artist whose credits include a mural at the recent Aztec exhibit at the Denver Museum of Natural History, is currently on exhibit at Michener Library on the UNC campus in Greeley. Also on display are the works of University of Northern Colorado faculty members Roberto Cordova and Genie Canales.

The exhibit, "La Raza Simpatica," will be on view through May 7 at Michener Library. A reception, hosted by Friends of UNC Libraries from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, is planned in conjunction with Greeley's Cinco de Mayo celebration. The Michener reception will include Hispanic music by German and Silvia Gutierrez and performances by the Greeley Rodarte Center Dancers. Lucero has produced more than 500 paintings since coming to Denver in 1976. His works have been featured in numerous exhibits throughout the nation, including one-man shows at Harvard and Columbia universities. Lucero's art can be found in the private collections of such celebrities as actors Al Pacino and Robert Redford and musicians Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia. Lucero also has earned an international forum for his art, which has been exhibited in China, Canada, Italy, France, England and Mexico.

A painter for almost 25 years, Lucero works in several styles, which he describes as traditional, abstract, "Neo-PreColumbian" and "Metarealism."

Each piece tells a story, such as "The Tlatelolco Market," the largest diorama for the exhibit "Aztec: The World of Moctezuma" at the Denver Museum of Natural History."

Lucero also has worked with other artists on Denver's City Walls Project. The murals grace the walls of a school, health center and several community recreation facilities in Denver.

Joining Lucero in the Michener exhibit is Roberto Cordova, an associate professor of Hispanic Studies at UNC. This is the first professional art show for Cordova. The Michener exhibit will include his landscapes.

Genie Canales, assistant professor of psychology, will create an altar dedicated to her mother, Guadalupe Pena Canales, for the Michener exhibit. A Mexican tradition that dates back to El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), the altar is an artistic arrangement of objects that reflect the likes of the person or persons being commemorated.

"The Day of the Dead commemorates the deceased. It strengthens the bonds between the living and the dead. It affirms death as a natural part of the cycle of life," Canales said.