Malaquías Montoya
Encyclopedia
Malaquías Montoya is an American born Chicano
poster artist and a major figure in the Chicano Art Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
farm workers (including brother, José Montoya
) in California's Central Valley. He joined the U.S. Marines and through the G.I. Bill was able to attend the University of California at Berkeley. In 1968, Montoya founded the Mexican-American Liberation Art Front and was "arguably the most influential Chicano artist collective in the movement".
Since then he has taught at University of California, Berkeley
, Stanford University
, California College of Arts and Crafts, University of Notre Dame
, University of California, Davis
. He currently teaches in the Chicano studies and Art departments at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
themes in his work. In 2006 he completed a series of paintings and screenprints on the death penalty which referenced those killed by the death penalty from Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, to Jesus Christ. Other themes include immigration
, the zapatista
movement, Palestine
, and others.
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
poster artist and a major figure in the Chicano Art Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Early Life and Teaching
Montoya was raised by a single mother in a family of migrantMigrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
farm workers (including brother, José Montoya
José Montoya
José Montoya is a poet and an artist from Sacramento, California. He is one of the most influential Chicano bilingual poets. He has published many well-known poems in anthologies and magazines...
) in California's Central Valley. He joined the U.S. Marines and through the G.I. Bill was able to attend the University of California at Berkeley. In 1968, Montoya founded the Mexican-American Liberation Art Front and was "arguably the most influential Chicano artist collective in the movement".
Since then he has taught at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, California College of Arts and Crafts, University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
. He currently teaches in the Chicano studies and Art departments at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
Art Works
Montoya is known for incorporating social justiceSocial justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
themes in his work. In 2006 he completed a series of paintings and screenprints on the death penalty which referenced those killed by the death penalty from Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, to Jesus Christ. Other themes include immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, the zapatista
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
movement, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and others.
External links
- Malaquías Montoya Official Website
- Montoya at Galeria de la RazaGalería de la RazaGalería de la Raza is a non-profit art gallery and artist collective that serves the heavily-Latino population of San Francisco's Mission District. GDLR mounts exhibitions, hosts poetry readings, workshops, and celebrations, sells works of art, and sponsors youth and artist-in-residence programs...