CultureShift: Scarab Club exhibition showcases life and work of Latina activist Nora Chapa Mendoza

“Stages of a Life: A Retrospective,” will be on view at the Scarab Club through Nov. 11.

Artist Nora Chapa Mendez

Artist Nora Chapa Mendez

A new exhibition opened this month at the Scarab Club that showcases the work of Nora Chapa Mendoza, a lifelong educator, activist and advocate for migrant workers, fair labor practices, indigenous identity and civil rights.

The 91-year old moved to Michigan in 1953 and has made Detroit her home, cementing herself as a Michigander and winning Michigan’s Artist of the Year in 1999 along with the Governor’s award.

Mendoza’s exhibition, “Stages of a Life: A Retrospective,” follows the journey of her life — highlighting her activism and love for educating others — through a diverse range of mediums including assemblages, paintings, paper mache and various mixed media works.

The Scarab Club’s new gallery director and Detroit native, Dalia Reyes,  joined CultureShift to talk more about the exhibition and Mendoza’s life as a stalwart creator and a powerful voice for the Latino community.


Listen: 


The collection will be on view through Nov. 11, with a gallery talk planned at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

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Author

  • Tia Graham
    Tia Graham is a reporter and Weekend Edition Host for 101.9 WDET. She graduated from Michigan State University where she had the unique privilege of covering former President Barack Obama and his trip to Lansing in 2014.