Internationally acclaimed photographer Al Rendón has been documenting the extended culture of south-central Texas for more than five decades. From his early teenage escapades weaseling his way backstage to shoot photos at shows by the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, and others to having his photos grace the covers of Variety and Newsweek, he has given the world a glimpse into Tejano culture and so much more. Featured widely in international media, Al Rendón's work has appeared in fourteen books and has been exhibited throughout the United States and Latin America and in China.
Mi Cultura captures a wide array of commercial and art photography ranging from charreadas, La Virgen de Guadalupe, and rock and roll and conjunto to immigrant food culture, the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, and the impacts of COVID-19 on already challenged communities. Included is an extensive selection of retratos, or portraits, work
Al Rendón is best known for--most notably his photographs of Selena (several of her are in the National Portrait Gallery). Taken as a whole, the collection reflects a timely cross section of historical and contemporary life in south-central Texas by one of the country's most important photographers.
Díaz, Eduardo: - Eduardo Díaz is the acting deputy director of the National Museum of the American Latino. He is the former executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque and previously served as San Antonio's first director of arts and culture.
McDermott, Marise: - Marise McDermott is president and chief executive officer of the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas.
Rendón, Al: - Al Rendón is a commercial and art photographer working in south-central Texas. His photographs have been exhibited throughout the United States, Latin America, and China and have been featured in fourteen books, as well as on the covers of People and Newsweek. Four of his photographs, including portraits of Selena, are in the National Portrait Gallery. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.
Shackelford, Bruce M.: - Bruce M. Shackelford is the Texas history curator for the Witte Museum in San Antonio and the author of Photography on the South Texas Frontier: Images from the Witte Museum Collection and The Wests of Texas: Cattle Ranching Entrepreneurs.
Tejeda, Juan: - Juan Tejeda is a professor emeritus of Mexican American studies and music at Palo Alto College and the founder of the Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio. He is the button accordionist for the Conjunto Aztlan and the co-owner of Aztlan Libre Press.
Ybarra-Frausto, Tomás: - Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, formerly of the Rockefeller Foundation and Stanford University, is a native San Antonian and an independent scholar of Latino and Latin American arts and culture.
