Merced Trio to Share Knowledge, Visions as UC Merced Artists-in-Residence

Three Merced painters, united in friendship and in their steadfast determination not to compromise their artistic values, are serving as UC Merced's first locally based artists-in-residence.

The brushes of Ruben Aguilera Sanchez, Frank Ayala and Abel Corchado create surreal scenes of fieldhands and crops coalescing in blues and reds, of a rural street splashed in watercolor, of shark fins cutting through a beach as a sandcastle rises from the surf.

The three, who are subjects of "Los Tres, a documentary by filmmaker and UC Merced Professor Yehuda Sharim, will host a community listening session on Feb. 17. Later, on March 10, they will join a screening of the film and a question-and-answer session after the documentary.

The university artist-in-residence designation is another milestone in the shared journey of Sanchez, Ayala and Corchado, who have known each other for more than four decades. Over the years, the men have supported each other's work, mentored others and pushed back against public expectations.

"I'm an artist who is Latino, not a Latino artist," Ayala said.

"They trailblazed their own vision, and that's what we are honoring," said Sharim, a professor of media and performance studies.