Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records
name: label: Creator
content: Tartan, James, 1931-
label: Names
content: Craft and Folk Art Museum
topic: label: Occupation
content: Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Topic
content: Street art
label: Topic
content: Mexican American art
label: Topic
content: Mexican American artists
label: Topic
content: Chicano artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated by James Tartan, the filmmaker, in 1988.
creator: label: Creator
content: Tartan, James, 1931-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Murals of Aztlán is a documentary film produced by actor and filmmaker James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles held at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California in 1981. For the exhibition, artists Carlos Almaraz, Gronk, Judithe Hernández, Willie Herrón, Frank Romero, John Valadez and the East Los Streetscrapers (David Botello, Wayne Healy, George Yepes) painted portable murals in the gallery, which was open to the public during the installation of the work. The filmmaker and his crew interviewed the artists involved in the exhibition for the film, filmed the artists creating murals in the gallery, and also filmed the public viewing the artists working and the murals themselves. 

James Tartan was born in 1931 and worked as a filmmaker, actor, and voiceover artist. In addition to Murals of Aztlán, Tartan created a documentary film about the 1974 Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition Los Four, and has been credited with training many Chicano filmmakers in the 1970s.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5.1 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1981
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.tartjame
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Transcripts
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Motion pictures (visual works)
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection arranged as 5 series.

Series 1: Exhibition and Production Notes, 1981 (8 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Work Print and Soundtrack, 1981 (2.6 linear feet; Box 3, FC 1-30)

Series 3: Sound Recordings, 1981 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 4: Voiceover Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 31-39)

Series 5: Trims and Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 40-48)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Motion picture film reels were inspected and re-housed in 2016-2017 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Original film containers were photographed and discarded as collection material was stabilized in archival film cans. Motion picture film was processed by Jennifer Graves, and the entire collection was arranged and described by Megan McShea in 2017.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Transcripts
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Motion pictures (visual works)
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Additional production material from the documentary Murals of Aztlán, including a final print, is found in the James Tartan Film Collection, 1960-1985, held at the UCLA Chicano Research Center.