Theres a great moment in Julie Taymors 2002 film, Frida, where the title character (played by Salma Hayek) appears for a formal family portrait dressed in mens clothing, much to her mothers horror. It may be a romantic oversimplification of Mexican culture, but its a better representation than the gangs, drugs, and violence that we often see portrayed on TV.
Phoenix-area residents are invited to participate in a broad, intellectual conversation on the realities of the Mexican experience as part of Los Angeles-based Zócalo Public Squares Telling Mexicos Stories event at the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue. Zócalo has hosted a wide range of speakers, from Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman to Jane McGonigal, who discussed how gaming will save the world.
At the Phoenix event, a moderated panel of journalists from both sides of the border -- including Belo TV border bureau chief Angela Kocherga and Guillermo Osorno, editor of Mexicos slick and glossy Gatopardo (the Latin American equivalent of Vanity Fair) -- will attempt to disentangle Mexicos conflicting narratives from the pull of the more publicly visible narco-violence stories.
Thu., June 2, 6:30-9:30 p.m., 2011