Mexican/American, b. 1943
Amalia Mesa-Bains is an internationally renowned artist, scholar, and curator. Throughout her career, Mesa-Bains has expanded understandings of Latina/o artists’ references to spiritual practices and vernacular traditions through her altar installations, articles, and exhibitions. In 1992 she was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation. Her work has been shown at institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art at Phillip Morris, and the New Museum and international venues in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Ireland, Sweden, England, France, and Spain. As a cultural critic, she is the co-author with bell hooks of Homegrown: Engaged Cultural Criticism. She founded and directed the Visual and Public Art department at California State University at Monterey Bay, where she is now Professor Emerita.
Mesa-Bains’ community work includes board of trustee positions with the Mexican Museum in San Francisco and advisory boards for the Galeria de la Raza, and the Social Public Resource Center in Los Angeles. She is a recipient of the Latinx USLA fellowship.
Mesa-Bains’ community work includes board of trustee positions with the Mexican Museum in San Francisco and advisory boards for the Galeria de la Raza, and the Social Public Resource Center in Los Angeles. She is a recipient of the Latinx USLA fellowship.
