Malaquías Montoya

Montoya was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.{{Cite book|title = The Making of Chicana/o Studies: In the Trenches of Academe|last = Acuna|first = Rodolfo F.|publisher = Rutgers University Press|year = 2011|isbn = 9780813550701|location = New Brunswick|pages = 104}} He was raised by a single mother in a family of migrant farm workers (including brother, José Montoya) in California's Central Valley.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Montoya joined the U.S. Marines. He was able to attend the University of California at Berkeley through the G.I. Bill.{{cite book

| last = Selz

| first = Peter Howard

| title = Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond

| year = 2005

| publisher = University of California Press

| pages = 176

| url = http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520240537

| isbn = 978-0-520-24053-7 }} He learned the art of silkscreening while working for a commercial printer.{{cite book|author=Shifra M Goldman|title=Dimensions of the Americas: Art and Social Change in Latin America and the United States|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1994|isbn=9780226301242|pages=171–2}}

Montoya has taught at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, California College of Arts and Crafts, University of Notre Dame, and University of Texas, San Antonio. He was a full professor at the University of California, Davis where he began teaching in 1989. He is Professor Emeritus of Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Davis.

Montoya is a co-founder with Carlos Francisco Jackson of Taller Arte de Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), a print studio, exhibition and teaching space in Woodland, California. TANA is in partnership with the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies program. {{Cite web |last=Etcheverry |first=Aaron |date=2018-12-12 |title=People {{!}} Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) |url=https://tana.ucdavis.edu/about-people |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=tana.ucdavis.edu |language=en}}

Montoya gained prominence for his silkscreen printed posters that address social justice issues. During the 1960s and 70s, a period when printmaking became a favored medium for activist artists, it facilitated more accessible, affordable, and efficient poster production. Thus, he is known for incorporating social justice themes in his work including immigration, the Zapatista movement, and Palestine. His art is evidence of social justice themes that expose the realities of marginalized communities that can make people uncomfortable.{{Cite web |title="What better function for art at this time than as a voice for the voiceless": The Work of Chicano Artist Malaquías Montoya |url=https://nacla.org/news/2019/02/17/%E2%80%9Cwhat-better-function-art-time-voice-voiceless%E2%80%9D-work-chicano-artist-malaqu%C3%ADas |access-date=2020-05-05 |website=NACLA |language=en}}

In 2006 he completed a series of paintings and screenprints on the death penalty which referenced those killed by the death penalty including Ethel and Julius Rosenberg[http://www.malaquiasmontoya.com/prints1.php Malaquias Montoya] and Jesus Christ.

Montoya has produced substantial work on the issue of immigration. He produced the print Immigrant’s Dream (2004) which shows a faceless figure covered completely in the American flag which serves as a bag with a tag labeled “undocumented.”{{Cite web|title=An Immigrant's Dream, The American Response|url=https://galeriasinfronteras.org/2014/09/15/sample-image-title-3/|date=2014-09-15|website=Galería sin Fronteras|language=en|access-date=2020-05-05}} This print presented the horrific reality of what becomes of the coveted American Dream. Another print titled, Undocumented includes a man trapped in barbed wire with the word undocumented written in red with blood dripping across his body.{{Cite web|title=Malaquias Montoya {{!}} Smithsonian American Art Museum|url=https://americanart.si.edu/artist/malaquias-montoya-6841|website=americanart.si.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-05}} The barbed wire is representative of the physical barrier of the US Mexico Border migrants encounter when crossing the border. In addition the captivity of the man within the barbed wire is metaphorical for the emotional suffering due to migration.

In 2023 he created a sizable mural at the UC Davis Student Community Center. Montoya holds the view that the artist's role in the community remains unchanged despite technological advancements and the prevalence of social media. He asserts, "I perceive their role to be constant; the artist's task is to articulate the issues presented to us in a convoluted manner, enabling people to comprehend the role they need to fulfill. I believe the cultural worker's responsibility is to interpret information from those in power and present it back to the community in a clearer form."{{Citation |last1=MONTOYA |first1=MALAQUÍAS |title=A Critical Perspective on the State of Chicano Art · 1980 |date=2019-01-17 |work=Chicano and Chicana Art |pages=37–44 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv120qrn6.12 |access-date=2023-11-27 |publisher=Duke University Press |last2=SALKOWITZ-MONTOYA |first2=LEZLIE|doi=10.2307/j.ctv120qrn6.12 }}

Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art opened the retrospective Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance. The exhibition was curated by Claudia Zapata, guest curator and it will be on view from October 1, 2023, to May 6, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Parsons |first=Justin K. |date=2018-09-27 |title=Current Exhibitions {{!}} jan shrem and maria manetti shrem museum of art |url=https://manettishremmuseum.ucdavis.edu/current-exhibitions |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=manettishremmuseum.ucdavis.edu |language=en}} Yo Soy Chicano is part of an homage to Malaquías Montoya and the legacy he has shaped. The current exhibitions primarily feature prints and posters, but a significant aspect of his influence stems from murals produced in collaboration with the UC Davis mural class. When questioned about having gallery representation, Montoya replied, "My gallery extends from Lake Merritt to 87th Street (in Oakland). You can encounter my creations on utility poles and building facades. The intention was for people to encounter my work as they drive through the neighborhood or stroll to the grocery store".{{Cite web |last=Sellers |first=Tracy L. |date=2023-11-20 |title=Malaquías Montoya's Multi-Generational Impact {{!}} UC Davis College of Letters and Science |url=https://lettersandscience.ucdavis.edu/news/malaquias-montoyas-multi-generational-impact |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=lettersandscience.ucdavis.edu |language=en}}

The Oakland Museum of California also honors Malaquías Montoya by exhibiting, Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya, which will be on view from October 6, 2023, to June 30, 2024.{{Cite web |title=Por el Pueblo: The Legacy & Influence of Malaquías Montoya |url=https://museumca.org/on-view/por-el-pueblo/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) |language=en-US}} Por el Pueblo acknowledges Malaquías Montoya's role as a founding figure and leader within the Chicano Arts Movement, examining how his impact persists through present-day activist artists. Similar to Montoya in his early years, contemporary artists still face marginalization from the mainstream due to their identities and their commitment to speaking truth to power. Beyond highlighting Montoya's work and ongoing influence, Por el Pueblo underscores the efforts of current artists who are amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on queer individuals and Chicanas.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-23 |title=Oakland Museum Announces New Exhibition Honoring the Contributions and Living Impact of Chicano Artist and Activist Malaquías Montoya |url=https://museumca.org/press/malaquias-montoya/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) |language=en-US}}

Adaline Kent Award from the San Francisco Art Institute (1997)

Special Congressional Recognition, Awarded by Congressman Mike Thompson in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community, Woodland, California (2005)

Malaquias Montoya by Terezita Romo, University of Minnesota Press, MN, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89551-106-5 (Second Place - Best Arts Book, 2012 International Latino Book Awards){{Cite web |title=Malaquias Montoya |url=https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/malaquias-montoya |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=University of Minnesota Press |language=en}}

Premeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment, exhibition catalog, 2004.{{Cite web |title=Malaquias Montoya: Books & Catalogs |url=https://www.malaquiasmontoya.com/malaquias-montoya-books---catalogs.html |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=www.malaquiasmontoya.com}}

Globalization and War–the Aftermath, exhibition catalog, 2008.

Montoya’s activism was shaped by his exposure to the Chicano movement which incorporated ideals of resistance and cultural affirmation. This movement had an emphasis on civil rights for Mexican Americans and raising political, economic, and social consciousness.{{Cite web|title=Art Fights the Power|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/1998-08-28/523839/|last1=Martin|first1=Sam|website=www.austinchronicle.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-05|date=August 28, 1998}} He became part of the Mexican American Student Confederation (MASC) and produced leaflets and posters to empower the community and raise awareness about the cause. He demonstrated solidarity with fellow activists by distributing UFW buttons and bumper stickers. Moreover, he participated in MASC sit ins which were organized to demand University of California, Berkeley to include a Mexican American Studies course of study and requested that the administration demonstrate solidarity with the UFW’s grape boycott.{{Cite book|last=Romo|first=Terezita|title=Malaquias Montoya|publisher=UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press|year=2011|pages=32}}

At Berkeley, Montoya was actively involved with advocacy organizations by contributing art to their mobilization efforts. He continued his poster making collaboration with the UFW in Berkeley. One of his famous works for the UFW was the poster with a central message of “Support the Farmworkers War” asking for donations of food and clothing. The color palette includes bold colors such as red, black, and yellow and bold lettering with the intention of demanding attention to support the labor movement which is referred to as a war effort. The inverted Aztec eagle (UFW logo) is covering three faceless and barely identifiable figures.{{Cite web|title=Giving a Voice to the Voiceless: Malaquias Montoya, Renowned Artist {{!}} The Bottom Line|url=https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2014/01/giving-a-voice-to-the-voiceless-malaquias-montoya-renowned-artist|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-05}} In his UFW poster, he represented the farmworker families as advocating for their rights to frame the discourse on the struggle of marginalized communities. Montoya was also linked to the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) advocacy efforts seeking to establish a separate Third World College that would enhance representation for minorities including African Americans, Chicanos, Asians, and Native Americans.{{Cite book|last=Delgado|first=Manuel Ruben|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/502160841|title=The last Chicano: a Mexican American experience|isbn=978-1-4490-1414-8|oclc=502160841}} His involvement in the TWLF provided an invaluable perspective on mobilization such as learning about “coalition politics” which conveyed that collaboration between groups with overlapping interests could be a powerful force to enact change.{{Cite book|last=Romo|first=Terezita|title=Malaquias Montoya|publisher=UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press|year=2011|pages=35}} There was an emphasis on the shared struggle which he sought to include in his posters of mobilization. In this wide array of posters, he used the terms “Huelga” (strike) to emphasize the resistance and would use "Unidos" to suggest a form of solidarity between various disenfranchised groups. In addition, his TWLF posters include faceless or unrecognizable figures to suggest that this is a collective fight against power. His time at Berkeley shaped him as an artist as he began to merge politics with aesthetics with the intention of participating in activism at the local and international level.

In 1968, Montoya founded the Mexican-American Liberation Art Front and was "arguably the most influential Chicano artist collective in the movement".[http://www.chicano.ucla.edu/research/MalaquiaM.html Malaquías Montoya]

Montoya lives with his wife, Lezlie Salkowitz-Montoya, in Solano County, Northern California.

{{wikiquote}}

• [http://www.malaquiasmontoya.com/ Malaquías Montoya] Official Website
• [http://www.galeriadelaraza.org/eng/exhibits/archive/artists.php?op=view&id=135&media=info Montoya] at Galeria de la Raza

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Category:1938 births

Category:Living people

Category:Artists from Albuquerque, New Mexico

Category:Artists from California

Category:American poster artists

Category:American artists of Mexican descent

Category:Printmakers

Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni

Category:University of California, Davis faculty

Category:Stanford University faculty

Category:University of Notre Dame faculty