The Barrio Mobile Art Studio: The history of an art education programme for Chicanas/os and Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles

The Barrio Mobile Art Studio, an educational outreach programme created in 1975 by the art centre Self Help Graphics, predominantly served Chicano/a and Mexican immigrant populations in East Los Angeles. The paper examines the creation of this programme, its philosophy and pedagogy in the context of the Civil Rights Movement and an agenda for equity and social justice. By examining the training of the artists who became the teachers for the programme, and its impact on the population it served, it brings to light a significant aspect of the history of Self Help Graphics: its innovative educational outreach programme, which has particular relevance to Chicano/a studies, as well as to the broader history of art education in the United States.