Cecilia Alvarez facts for kids

Cecilia Alvarez (born April 15, 1950) is an American Chicana artist. She is famous for her oil paintings and murals. Her art often shows ideas about women's rights, helping people in need, and protecting our planet. These themes appear in her work about the United States and Latin America.

One of Alvarez's most well-known paintings is Las Cuatas Diego. This artwork has been shown in books and art exhibits all over the world. Cecilia Alvarez also drew the pictures for a children's book called Antonio's Card. This book is written in both English and Spanish by Rigoberto González. You can find her art in important places like the Mexican Fine Arts Museum and the Seattle Art Museum.

Discovering Cecilia Alvarez's Life Story

Early Life and Background

Cecilia Alvarez was born in National City, California, in 1950. Her father was from Cuba, and her mother was from Mexico. She grew up with both parents in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. This mix of cultures and places greatly influenced her art.

Becoming an Artist

Alvarez is a self-taught artist. This means she learned to paint on her own. She started studying at San Diego State University. However, she decided not to finish her degree. She felt it was not needed for her artistic journey. Some people at the university told her that her art might not be seen as "fine art" because she was a Mexican-American woman.

After leaving college, at age twenty-three, Alvarez began to help her family financially. In 1975, she moved to Washington state. Most of her famous artwork was created there. She also attended Eastern Washington University from 1978 to 1981. Today, she lives and works in Seattle, Washington, with her family.

Exploring Cecilia Alvarez's Art

What Her Art Is About

Cecilia Alvarez is mainly a painter. But she also creates large public artworks. She helps young people make murals to share cultural awareness. Alvarez uses her own experiences and feelings in her art. She does this to talk about important political and cultural issues.

She hopes her art will make people think and talk. She wants to discuss who gets to have things and who is left out in society. Alvarez also tries to show new ways of thinking about women and family. Her identity as a woman and a Chicana artist shapes her work. She believes art helps us understand our place in the world. The many female figures in her art show her close bond with her mother and aunt. They taught her the value of family and human connection.

Famous Paintings and Projects

Alvarez wants her art to start conversations about beauty and power in society. In 1991, she gave a print of her painting "Las Cuatas Diego" to The Mexican Museum in San Francisco. This piece is now part of their permanent collection.

In 1994, Alvarez worked on a big public art project. The Washington State Arts Commission asked her to design art for the Student Activities Center at Seattle Central College. She worked closely with the building's architects. She created etched windows, patterns in concrete, and ceramic tiles. She said these designs were meant to honor different cultures. They also aimed to make the building feel welcoming and connected.

Cecilia Alvarez also created the pictures for the children's book Antonio's Card. This book was written by Rigoberto Gonzalez and published in 2005.

Important Artworks by Cecilia Alvarez

• Las Cuatas Diego, 1979
• La Tierra Santa, 1983
• Si Te Puede Pasar a Ti, 1992

Art Shows and Exhibitions

• 2016: Beyond Aztlán: Mexican and Chicana/o Artists in the Pacific Northwest, Museum of Northwest Art (MONA).

See also

In Spanish: Cecilia Álvarez para niños