Aguilar (Laura) papers, 1981-1995

Summary

Creators:

Aguilar, Laura

Extent:

2.75 Linear Feet (8 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Laura Aguilar Papers, M0829, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

The Aguilar Papers and Photographs include the personal and professional materials of Laura Aguilar and occupy 2.75 linear feet. The collection traces through correspondence with mentors and friends both Aguilar's artistic development and her struggle with dyslexia. Her professional achievements are detailed in the series on exhibitions and published works. The print series includes original prints of three of Aguilar's photographic series: Latina Lesbians, Plush Pony, and Clothed/Unclothed.

Biographical / historical:

Laura Aguilar is a photographer whose works are mostly portraits. Professor Chon Noriega of UCLA's Department of Film and Television writes that Aguilar's work documents "social groups and identities that remain invisible in mainstream culture: Latina lesbians, black couples, obese people, et al." She cooperates with her subjects so that "her work is not about power differentials between photographer and subject as is often, if implicitly, the case with...the social documentary tradition." An autobiographical element is also apparent in Aguilar's work. Art critic Diana Emery Hulick noted that "the circumstances of [Aguilar's] life are reflected overtly in her art." Aguilar, Hulick wrote, "is large, lesbian, and Chicana, acutely aware of her separateness, yet comfortable enough with herself to present us with a personal vision that is both intimate and authoritative."

Laura Aguilar was born in west San Gabriel Valley, California in 1959. She has studied in the East Los Angeles Community College photography program and the Santa Fe Photographic Workshop, among other programs. In 1994/95 she was the recipient of a California Arts Council Fellowship and in 1991/92 of an Artist's Project Grant from Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Her work has appeared in exhibits in California, Texas, New York, and Mexico. Collections of her work can be found at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Department in Santa Monica, California. Aguilar lives in Rosemead, California.

Diana Emery Hulick,"Laura Aguilar," Latin American Art 5:3 (1993), 52-54.

Acquisition information:

Purchased from Laura Aguilar, 1996.

Processing information:

Processed by Patricia Mazón, 1996 April

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Dyslexia.
Hispanic American lesbians.
Mexican American art.
Obesity.
Photography.
Photoprints.

Names:

Cuadros, Gilbert.
House, Suda.
Martel, Pat.
Tenneson, Joyce.

Restrictions:

Open for research; material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Selected photographs have been digitized and are available online: https://purl.stanford.edu/jm174sx1579

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Laura Aguilar Papers, M0829, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:

Stanford University, Manuscripts Division

Department of Special Collections, Green Library

557 Escondido Mall

Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US

Contact:

(650) 725-1022

specialcollections@stanford.edu

Website