Judy baca early life

1. Judy Baca: Artist, Activist, and Professor
2. Education
3. Teaching Career
4. Recent and Ongoing Projects

Judy Baca: Artist, Activist, and Professor

Judy Baca, an American artist, activist, and professor of Chicano Studies, was born on September 20, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, to Mexican-American parents. Raised in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood of Watts, she lived in a female-headed household consisting of her mother, aunts Rita and Delia, and grandmother Francisca. Her father, a military serviceman, never acknowledged her existence and returned to the East Coast after her birth. Baca's grandmother, a curandera (herbal healer), deeply influenced her sense of local Chicano culture. Baca's mother later married Clarence Ferrari in 1952, adding stepsiblings Gary and Diane to the family. They moved to Pacoima, Los Angeles, which was significantly different from Watts, with Mexican-Americans being a minority.

Education

In elementary school, Baca faced restrictions on speaking Spanish, which she understood better than English. Encouraged by her drawing teacher, she began exploring art and drawing. Baca graduated from Bishop Alemany High School in 1964. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 1969 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1979 from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Inspired by the lack of accessible art in the communities she loved, Baca sought to create works that would be accessible outside of galleries and museums.

Teaching Career

Baca initiated her teaching career at her alma mater, Bishop Alemany High School, where she created her first mural project with students in a program called "Allied Arts." She was dismissed after participating in public protests against the Vietnam War. Baca became a professor at the University of California, Irvine in 1980, leaving in 1994 to lead a workshop training people in the techniques she had developed. From 1994 to 1996, she served as a professor at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she co-founded the Institute for Visual and Public Arts faculty. In 1996, Baca joined the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1993, she co-founded the UCLA Cesar Chavez Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, where she serves as vice-chair. In 1998, she was a master artist in Harvard University's "The Role of the Arts in Civic Dialogue" program.

Recent and Ongoing Projects

In March 2010, Baca participated in the Richmond Mural Project in Northern California's East Bay, a five-panel mural depicting themes of diversity and unity. She has also been instrumental in the Mural Rescue Program, which focuses on restoring and preserving murals in public spaces. One of Baca's most recent and ongoing projects is the "New Codex-Oaxaca-Immigration and Cultural Memory," which involves the exchange of artwork and stories from Mexican (specifically Oaxacan) immigrants to the United States. Baca selects artwork for exhibition and works with the community to facilitate dialogue and support for these immigrants. She was interviewed for the film "Women Art Revolution."