History of Lowrider Magazine: Mario Madrid San Jose, CA 12/9/2023
History of Lowrider Magazine: Mario Madrid San Jose, CA 12/9/2023
Source: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_ABC_s_of_Lowriding/qOco0AEACAAJ?hl=en
Ricardo Cortez is a Chicano artist exploring the intersections of technology, sculpture, and culture. He continues to exhibit, teach, and produce culturally significant work that encourages interaction - inviting the audience to become an integral part of the art.Ricardo's lowrider bug started when he was 13 years old, building hopping lowrider model cars, reading lowrider magazines, and going to car shows with his dad. Eventually, he worked on a 1967 Buick LeSabre and a 1954 GMC, which he inherited from his "Lito" Nicolas. His education took him to Santa Clara University, where he studied art and now works as a creative director. As a Chicano artist working with technology, sculpture, and culture, he aspires to continue to educate about lowrider culture and provide access to lowrider material on his website, lowriderfever.com. He lives in San Jose, California, with his wife and daughter and is an active member of the United Lowrider Council of San Jose.
Source:
https://blogs.sjsu.edu/newsroom/2023/ricardo-cortez-and-the-abcs-of-lowrider-culture/
Partial Article:
Picture this: San José, 1977, the intersection of Story and King Streets are thrumming to the beat of old school funk and disco as a steady stream of decked-out lowrider cars stream through the boulevards. So often the cars, customized classic two-doors with bright paint and bouncy hydraulics, tell the stories of their drivers, says artist, author and 2022 San José Creative Ambassador Ricardo Cortez, ’15 MFA Digital Art.
“A lot of folks, myself included, identify lowriders as the person, the individual, and the car becomes an extension of their lowrider identity,” says Cortez, whose first book, “The Lowrider ABCs,” comes out this fall. “As the lowrider and driver, you become the artist creating the car. You embed your own artistic style, your own influence in the car. The car becomes a movable billboard of yourself driving down the street.”
Cortez first encountered lowriders as a middle schooler in San José, when he noticed his classmates building cars that “hopped” thanks to modified suspension systems. As a child who participated in San José State’s MESA program, he recognized how the cars combined artistry with engineering and innovative design thinking. He begged his grandfather to let him tinker with his ’54 GMC pickup or his classic ’67 Buick. When his grandfather finally relented, Cortez says the cars “became part of my identity.”
Not only were the cars beautiful, they were literal vehicles of expression for the aspiring artist, who found community in building, designing and driving with his friends and fellow lowriders. Cortez’s parents, Chicanos who grew up in the Bay Area, encouraged his passion by buying him model cars, paint sets and copies of Lowrider Magazine — a publication started by Sonny Madrid in 1977.
Read More: Enter these links in your computer browser:
Sonny Madrid, 70, Dies; Illuminated Chicano Life in Lowrider Magazine - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
After 42 Years Lowrider Magazine Will No Longer Be Printed – NBC 7 San Diego (nbcsandiego.com)
Videographer: Ramon J. Martinez PhD.
Video link
https://youtu.be/z5hzx2yLCjo
Filename
20231209144323 (1) (1).m2ts
