CHAC

Artists' Bios:

Meggan De Anza learned how to make santos by viewing images in museums and then attempting to make them herself. As an influential art teacher, she's taught about santos at the Denver Art Museum, the Museo de las Americas, the Public Education Coalition, Artes del Pueblo, the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, the Chile Harvest Festival, and the Aurora Historical Society. DeAnza is one of 194 artists profiled in the book titled “Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art-Artists, Works, Culture, and Education Volumes 1&2.”

Renee Fajardo is a freelance writer who has lived in Colorado her whole life. She travels throughout the South West collecting the folklore and stories of every day hero’s She and her seven children perform storytelling and dance workshops in a professional troupe. She was awarded a Rocky Mountain Women's Institute Fellowship Award for her project Return of the Corn Mothers. She also has co-authored four children’s books with Carl Ruby. She believes that writing is the way to open the heart and free the spirit.

Li Hardison a native of Harlem is a figurative sculptor. She has created a body of work that includes both public and private commissions. Li has expressed the complexity and passion of the human spirit thru her art. She has honored the dignity and strength of women and African American women in particular. She is currently creating an ongoing series of sculptures that honor the achievements of black women artists in all genres of artistic endeavor. The depiction of these women as they manifest their hopes and dreams is an effort to speak to young artists. It is a means by which to emphasize the critical role the creation of art plays in contributing to the emotional, psychological, and spiritual wholeness of human beings.

Holly Wasigner is a local visual artist who has been drawing and painting for over 20 years. Her work has always been strongly influenced by female archetype iconography and she welcomes the chance to celebrate both indigenous women and motherhood. She dedicates he work to the matriarchs that planted the seeds of who we are, as well as the mothers of today. She was instrumental in the Art Street Project of the late 90’s and is currently completing a master degree program in art therapy.

Santiago Jaramillo is a Colorado Native. He has a diverse range of artistic expressions, such as abstract, modern, cultural, and mixed media. He draws heavily on his cultural roots to inspire his paintings and carvings. Santiago is also known for his traditional drum and instrument making. He teaches workshops to inner city youth and disadvantage populations. He is the founder of the Aztec/Mexica dance, song and storytelling group named Chimatonalli that travels through out the state of Colorado.

Robert Lopez Dussart was a master portrait artist born in 1932 he captured the heart and soul of the wild west with his paintings and sketches. Known as one of the earliest Chicano artist to show commercially the decorated Korean War Veteran is lovingly remembered for his dedication to his cultural roots, family and community. He passed away on Feb 2nd 2008 while working on pieces for this show. He leaves behind some of his most stunning and pragmatic works about the life and destiny of a Colorado. His vision of this land and country is from a perspective that few have had the honor to witness.

Arlette Lucero earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Colorado State University in Fort Collins and completed two years of graphic arts through the Community College of Denver. She has taught art education for over eight years in Colorado and is an active volunteer and current member at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council of Denver. Lucero also has over 20 years of experience in graphic arts, painting, illustration, sculpture, and photography, and has been involved with a number of local nonprofits such as ArtsStreet, Art Reach, Colorado Cultural Connections, Museo de las Americas, Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, Kidzart and various other neighborhood organizations.

Mike Penny is a Denver Colorado native. His art reflects the customs, beliefs, and artistry of ancient civilizations. Combining the natural beauty of stone and the expressive texture of deep relief sand carving give his work the timeless beauty found in artifacts and one of a kind art tiles. Light is used to expose the tactile and visual texture of the stone and carve them into sparkling accents of light and shadows.

Todd Pierson was raised in Alaska where he received a hand-me-down Kodak instamatic at age 7. From those early photographs to the present, he has remained impassioned and enthralled with photography. Todd has been published in numerous Colorado newspapers and national magazines and freelances for EFE, the largest Spanish-language news agency in the world. His photographs have run in publications as far away as Uruguay. Todd balances his photojournalism and editorial work with commercial photography in Denver, Colorado.

Carl Ruby is a first generation American of German parents. He was born in Syracuse, New York, and moved to a farm of one hundred acres in central New York where he grew up. Carl is a two-tour Vietnam Navy veteran serving with Reconnaissance Attack Squadron Seven. After his military service he obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Western New Mexico University at Silver City, New Mexico, and a Masters of Arts Degree in Educational Media from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley, Colorado. Carl is a retired educator with thirty years of service mostly in the Jefferson County R1 School District in Colorado and co-author of four children’s books , the Holy Mole Guacamole Tummy Tale Series.

Evelyn Valdez Martinez both of Evelyn’s grandmothers were healers in their small communities of San Luis, and San Acacio. They visited ailing neighbors with their healing herbs; and prepared medical teas, linaments and poltices. Evelyn saw the love and compassion that these strong women in her life demonstrated. She feels that these examples taught her to be sensitive to other peoples pain, both physical and emotional. It infused in her, a deep sense, that all humanity is linked as one. . This human connection is an important part of her work with, and the paintings she is producing from her visits with the Tarahumara Indians of the Barrancas de Cobre in Chihuahua, Mexico. Southwest Art and American Artist magazines selected one of her paintings to represented New Mexico’s Wilderness, in a fund raising project. This project helped pass a bill through congress, making over a thousand acres in central New Mexico, designated "Wilderness". This wilderness will be protected in it’s natural state, forever.

Suzanna Vega has been involved with CHAC for over 20 years. She has served in a multitude of areas including: administrative assistant to 5 executive directors, assistant to DOA Art Project Coordinator, created & coordinated CHAC's Tertulia, and served as secretary to the board of directors. Suzan came to her passion upon discovering CHAC which she found to be an oasis amidst a cultural wasteland for Chicano/Latino artistic expression. She writes poetry among other veins such as short stories and plays. Her work encompasses her feelings on oppression highlighting wonders of humanity and mother earth among many other thoughts.

Rita Wallace is the states a leading expert on Mexican Art, culture and indígenous traditions. She is passionate about transmitting her vast knowledge from one generation to another and helping Mexican Immigrant families maintain the strength of their culture as they embrace the American way of life. Rita does outstanding work in bridging cultures in schools and communities through artistic educational presentations and workshops. She is the quintessential Corn Mother of this show in that she is not only the elder but also has received numerous awards from the Colorado Council on the Arts recognizing her as a master folk artist and arts educator. Rita passes on the traditional arts of embroidery, flower making, weaving, and other hand crafts that are being long forgotten in a throw away culture.