Yolanda M. López: Women’s Work is Never Done is an exhibition in the Thatcher Gallery at the University of San Francisco commemorating the life and work of Chicana feminist artist and activist, Yolanda López. Work for this exhibition began in January 2023 and was completed in August.
Yolanda M. Lopez
Year: 2023
Medium: Gallery exhibition design, exhibition identity design.
Conception: Yolanda M. López was an American artist and activist whose work focused on challenging stereotypes about Mexican-American women, particularly in the workplace. Born in 1942, López lived and worked in San Francisco for decades as a Chicana feminist championing her community and heritage. After her death in 2021, the Thatcher Gallery at the University of San Francisco set out to create an exhibition that would honor her memory, showcasing a vast body of never-before-seen works. Work for this project began in January 2023 with the anticipated end-date in August 2023.
Making: The exhibition is a highly-collaborative effort, with many different designers, including myself, playing a role in the project. Some of my meaningful contributions on this project have been taking measurements of the gallery, creating elevation drawings, developing the exhibition identity, developing a timeline, and designing A panels and B panels, object labels, and exhibition takeaways, amongst other things. The Yolanda M. López: Women’s Work is Never Done exhibition is expected to open in August 2023.
Impact: This project celebrates the incredible life and work of Yolanda López. The 2023 exhibition at the Thatcher Gallery, featuring a remarkable collection of previously undiscovered works by Yolanda M. López, delivers a profound testament to the transformative power of art. Spanning six decades from the 1960s to the 2020s, this comprehensive showcase illuminates the evolution of López's creative journey. The exhibition showed at the Thatcher Gallery from August 31 to November 12, 2023. The show unveiled a collection of drawings, design, collage, and photography gathered throughout her life, showing her evolving creative styles and forms. This exhibition reverberates with the power to challenge cultural and gender stereotypes, offering a poignant reminder of the enduring strength and humanity inherent in the subjects of López's gaze. By doing so, it brings not only her works but also her enduring legacy to life, underscoring the lasting impact of her art on our collective understanding of the Latinx and BIPOC experience.
