Santa Barraza (born April 7, 1951) is an American mixed-media artist and painter who is well known for her colorful, retablo style painting.
[7] Barraza recalls that there was a great deal of stigmatization against the Mexican-American students as far back as elementary school.
[9] Barraza met and became friends with Chicana artist Carmen Lomas Garza when they were both at H.M. King High school together.
[8] In 1971, Barraza transferred to the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in order to pursue studio arts[2] and because it was important to her to receive a BFA rather than a BA.
"[10] At UT, Barraza studied with Jacinto Quirarte, who was the only Latino or Chicano faculty member at the time.
[7] Barraza recalls that while she was at UT, she knew she wanted to be an artist and make a difference and she chose to do this by painting the images she felt were missing from the textbooks: Chicana imagery.
[7] When Barraza graduated with her BFA from UT and after the birth of her daughter, Andrea, she affiliated with Chicano artists in San Antonio and Austin called Los Quemados.
[2] According to organizer César Martínez, Los Quemados, which was intended to be a structureless group, "never really jelled," and the artists "drifted apart" after their inaugural exhibition at the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio on June 20, 1975.
[12] Differences of opinion caused Barraza to form her own group in 1977, called Mujeres Artistas de Suroeste (MAS).
[7] MAS organized a key feminist conference, Plástica Chicana Conferencia, in 1979 which was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
[12] Barraza's first job in the arts was as a graphic designer at Steck-Vaughan, which she took right out of the college to help support her husband and new baby.
[7] Studying her family history also helped her become more aware of various social inequities and injustices that had been done to Mexicans in Texas over time.
[4] Applying for the job and the decision to leave for Pittsburgh caused a great deal of anxiety for her, both in terms of starting something new, and also from the perspective that she lacked support from her husband.
[16] Barraza's work after the 1990s show a renewed interest in religious iconography, Mexican history and use of Aztec and Mayan motifs.
[19] Blending Christian and pre-Columbian symbolism is part of the way that Barraza reshapes the traditional narrative of history.
[21] She describes the process of reusing traditional imagery as a way to appropriate the ancient past and then to update it in a contemporary art expression.
Barraza's work as an artist has been successful because she has allowed it to evolve over time, yet still staying true to her vision of equality and freedom for all people.