[1] She has been named Michigan Artist of the Year[2] and in 1999 she received the Governor's Arts Award.
[7] Her paintings often draw on themes of immigration and deterritorialization,[8] human rights, labor, rebellion [9] and are informed by her Mexican heritage and her experiences as an artist in Detroit.
[10] In 1978, Mendoza, along with a group of Latino artists formed Nuestras Artes de Michigan (NAM),[11] with chapters established in Ann Arbor, Detroit and Lansing.
Her collectors include Detroit's former Mayor Dennis Archer, singer Aretha Franklin, actor Edward James Olmos, and the former president of General Motors Mr. Jack Smith.
[5] She was named the Visual Artist of 2011 by the Wayne County Council for Arts, History & Humanities.