Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance @ Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, UC Davis

Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, UC Davis // October 01, 2023 - May 06, 2024

October 13, 2023 | in Design

Yo Soy Chicano, 1972, reprinted 2013. Screenprint on paper, 26 1⁄8 × 20 in. © Malaquias Montoya. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

CHE, “No hay Fronteras...,” 1977. Screenprint on paper, 22 1/8 x 13 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

Me Vine Desde Allá, 1983. Screenprint on paper, 17 1/2 x 23 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

Ester Hernandez, Sun Mad, 1982. Screenprint on paper, 22 x 17 in. © Ester Hernandez. Courtesy of the artist.

printed by Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF), Teatro de la Gente, Presenta El Quetzal, 1977. Screenprint on paper, 23 1/8 x 17 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

The Artist and His Father, 2008. Screenprint on paper, 22 1/8 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

The Immigrant’s Dream, the American Response, 1983, reproduced in 2004. Screenprint on paper, 23 x 17 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

Juan de Dios Mora, Tierra Para Sembrar, Milpa Para Cultivar, Maiz Para Alimentar (Land to Harvest, Cornfield to Cultivate, Corn to Eat), 2009. Screenprint on paper, 14 1/2 in. x 19 5/8 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Trump Dog, 2015. Screenprint on paper, 22 1/8 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Muzi Rowe.

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The influential printmaking career of activist artist and UC Davis Professor Emeritus Malaquias Montoya will be explored this fall in Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance, on view through May 6, 2024, at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, at the University of California, Davis.

An iconic figure in the Bay Area social serigraphy movement of the mid-1960s, Montoya established screenprinting as a defining medium for political uprisings and advocacy. Embracing printmaking to advocate for social justice, his political posters and flyers employ bold visual declarations against oppression, infusing multilingual text and expressive graphic images to champion political dissension and historical accountability. Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance focuses on 23 of his prints, with additional works by Sandra Fernández, Juan Fuentes, Ester Hernandez, Juan de Dios Mora, Ramiro Rodriguez, Royal Chicano Air Force, Xabi Soto Beleche, Alicia María Siu Bernal and Elyse Doyle-Martinez. These works arose from artistic collaborations and partnerships between Montoya and the featured artists and are grouped by five themes: A Better Tomorrow, U.S. Pride in Punishment, Imaginary Borders, Rise of the Farmworker, and In Political Solidarity.

“Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance showcases the voices of printmakers across generations who are fighting for social justice and envisioning a brighter future,” said guest curator Claudia Zapata.

“Visitors will gain a deeper understanding of historical figures and movements that have persevered in the face of oppression, as well as an appreciation of the power of art to amplify the voices of marginalized communities around the world.”

Montoya’s multigenerational career as a master printer also includes his tenure at UC Davis from 1989-2008 and co-founding the print center Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), an integral creative locus for screen-printing education and technical advisory, with fellow UC Davis Professor Carlos Jackson in 2009. Emerging artists Elyse Doyle-Martinez, Xabi Soto Beleche and Alicia María Siu Bernal participated in Montoya-led political poster and mural workshops and classes as students at TANA and UC Davis.

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