What do you see when you scroll down your Instagram feed? We’re used to the usual images: adorable pets, mouthwatering food, gorgeous interior spaces. But for Guadalupe Rosales, creator of the Instagram accounts @veteranas_and_rucas and @map_pointz, Instagram is actually the perfect medium for something more ambitious. The platform has become her digital archive, a way of sharing photos taken in the pre-Internet era that might otherwise go forgotten.

On July 5, we turned our Instagram into a digital residency space for our very first #LACMAInstaResidency.

 

We have some exciting news! For the next six weeks, Guadalupe Rosales will be taking over our Instagram feed as our first Instagram artist in residence. Guadalupe is an artist and archivist based in Los Angeles and the founder of @veteranas_and_rucas and @map_pointz, both digital archives found on Instagram. She has an ongoing project developing an archive of photographs, objects, and ephemera related to the ’90s Los Angeles Latinx party crew scene. By preserving artifacts and memorabilia, Guadalupe’s work deconstructs and reframes marginalized histories, offering platforms of conversation and agency of self-representation. She'll be posting about art, Los Angeles and more. Swipe through to find out more about her work! (Photos via @veteranas_and_rucas @edruv @rachelninethree @map_pointz) #LACMAInstaResidency

A post shared by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

In an unprecedented initiative for our Instagram, Rosales took over our feed, posting photos from her own archives as well as shots from exhibitions, studio visits, events, and more. Over the course of 12 weeks, our Instagram feed turned into a space for exploring the history of L.A. youth culture and thinking about the impact of contemporary artists working in the city. She combined archival images with her current process, travels, and experiences to create a tapestry of her life as a woman of color artist working in L.A.

 

This is a photo from my private collection of 4 women from the party crews, 'Together We Stand' (TWS) and 'Mind Crime' on the ‪6th‬ ‪street‬ bridge in 1993. The bridge was demolished on Feb 5th, 2016. The city of Los Angeles faces the erasure of its rich histories. Part of my motivation in creating the @veteranas_and_rucas and @Map_Pointz digital archives was seeing the way my neighborhood was changing.  These projects are about preserving a history. Mario Ayala’s paintings (as seen in the previous post) discuss and preserve this same history in another form. I also want to encourage today's youth to document (in writing, photography etc.) and pay close attention to what they experience in their daily lives. —Guadalupe Rosales (of @veteranas_and_rucas And @map_pointz) #LACMAInstaResidency

A post shared by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Jul 17, 2017 at 7:39pm PDT

Over the course of the residency, Rosales shared her personal stories and history with the LACMA audience. She created a welcoming space for others to share their own stories, and to reflect on how their histories relate to the history of Los Angeles. Rosales, who grew up in L.A., was able to make genuine connections with the people who live in the city LACMA calls home.

 

I drove around the East Side today- passed by the Estrada Courts, Whittier Blvd, took a break at El Pino ( a natural landmark that sits on the border of East LA and Boyle Heights) and ended my day looking at the murals in Ramona Gardens. This mural, Virgin de Guadalupe was painted by artist, Armando Cabrera in 1974. People in the neighborhood have created an altar in front of the mural and leave offerings . Virgen de Guadalupe is one of 30 murals on the walls of Ramona Gardens apartment buildings painted by major Chicano artists like Magú, Carlos Almaraz and Judith Hernández. The first mural in Ramona Gardens was painted in 1971.—Guadalupe Rosales (of @veteranas_and_rucas And @map_pointz) #LACMAInstaResidency

A post shared by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Jul 12, 2017 at 8:35pm PDT

Over time, her residency gained a lot of buzz. Publications like Los Angeles Times, Artsy, Remezcla, Paper magazine, and more wrote about her work and her unique residency.

It’s been such a pleasure watching our feed turn into a space for sharing stories and memories. During her residency, followers got nostalgic and remembered their own childhood neighborhoods, youth parties, and favorite spaces in the city. 

 

Location: Orange County CA Year: 1992 Info: "Esther aka "Techno Queen" from Society's Perfection party crew in her bedroom, getting ready to hit up a backyard or warehouse party. Remember map points and party lines?"— Esther Photo and info courtesy of @tete_49 And it's a wrap! Thank you for submitting to the 3 day open call for youth photos! I loved seeing all the photos people sent in and wish I could share them all with you. Thank YOU! The residency is not over yet so please continue to enjoy all the photos I post! —Guadalupe Rosales (of @veteranas_and_rucas And @map_pointz) #LACMAInstaResidency

A post shared by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Jul 26, 2017 at 7:51pm PDT

At the beginning of the residency, Rosales gave us a quote that really resonated with us. “Whether someone studied art or not, all feelings and opinions are valid.” We hope her residency created a space for everyone who enjoys art.

Here’s to a successful first residency! We are so grateful we got to work with Rosales.

Keep your eyes on our feed to see what’s next. There are lots of exciting things coming up and still so many stories left to tell.