Peggy Martinez, Santa Cruz, ’64 Chevy Two-Tone
Artist
Meridel Rubenstein
(American, born 1948)
Date1980
MediumChromogenic print
DimensionsImage: 6 5/8 × 9 1/2 in. (16.8 × 24.1 cm)
Support: 14 1/4 × 17 in. (36.2 × 43.2 cm)
Support: 14 1/4 × 17 in. (36.2 × 43.2 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Harvey Mudd
Object number2020.13.6
DescriptionFrom the portfolio “The Lowriders: Portraits from New Mexico.” Horizontal picture with side view of reddish-brown 1964 Chevy parked in landscape at lake. Detail of car does not show hood or trunk or much of lower body, just a bit of the rear, driver-side wheel and tire. Driver’s window is rolled down to show a dark-haired woman in blue with her arms folded in window frame and head resting on hand.eMuseum Notes
Rubenstein was fairly new to New Mexico when a patron challenged her to include portraits of lowriders in her series celebrating the craftspeople of the state. At the time this picture was taken, many people saw lowriders and their clubs in a negative light and some cities banned the cars. Though initially hesitant to make contact with lowriders, Rubenstein quickly found common ground with them as fellow artists. Her resulting series of portraits and a 1980 exhibition of them, held on the Santa Fe Plaza, brought lowriders and their passion for customizing cars to a broader public and contributed to a slow shift in attitude toward appreciation and civic pride.
On View
Not on view
