which he fashions out of discarded items found along the U.S.-Mexico border.
With its large Chicano population and many Latino-oriented community organizations, Silicon Valley always has Cinco de Mayo covered. The holiday commemorates Mexico’s victory over French forces on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla, but the day more often focuses on cruising the city streets, blasting loud music and celebrating in style. Here are a few events.
Juan Felipe Herrera
Hammer Theatre, San Jose
May 5, 9:30pm, Free
U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera (see page 42) has frequently written about the immigrant experience. He appears as part of the Legacy of Poetry Day.
Guillermo Galindo
San Jose Museum of Art
May 5, 12pm
‘To me everything is a musical instrument,’ says Guillermo Galindo, one of two artists featured in the San Jose Museum of Art exhibit ‘Border Cantos.’ The show, which paired photographs taken on the U.S.-Mexico border with Galindo’s musical instruments and compositions, serves as an exploration of life at this international crossroads. For his part, Guillermo built instruments out of items he found while exploring the scrubby desert. Using everything from plastic and glass bottles to sand and shoes, he crafts soundscapes inspired by the lonesome landscapes he took in while tromping along the Rio Grande or walking along the miles of border fencing that stretches throughout Texas. This Thursday, in commemoration of Cinco de Mayo, Galindo will perform portions of these compositions live at the SJMA.
