Amado Maurilio Peña Jr. (born 1943) is an American visual artist and art educator of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and Yaqui ancestry. He is known as an important

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

artist who emerged from the historical Chicano Movement. He works primarily in

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...

. His artwork was featured in the important exhibition Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation.

Biography

Amado M. Peña Jr. was born in the border town of Laredo, Texas, in 1943. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in art and education at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He has taught art at various Texas schools in Laredo, Crystal City, and

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Peña refers to himself as

Mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

due to his mixed

and Yaqui ancestry, a fact that informs his artistic practice. He is a member and recognized as an artisan in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.

Art

Growing up with a working class family in a border town, Amado M. Peña Jr. witnessed firsthand the conditions that led to the Chicano Movement. In the 1970s, Texas-based Chicano artist and educator Mel Casas inspired Peña and others of his generation to create art aimed at documenting

culture and life. It was at this moment that Peña became involved in the Chicano Movement. He also began to learn more about the indigenous side of his family. Indigenous painter

Jose Encarnacion Peña Jose Encarnacion Peña, also known as Encarnacion Peña, and Soqween (1902–1979) was a Native American painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He is best known for his watercolors of Pueblo ceremonies and he was an ear ...

was also a mentor to Amado M. Peña Jr. Peña was featured in the 1990-1993 exhibition Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation that traveled to ten major cities in the United States. The exhibition was the most extensive and widely seen show of Chicano art to date and introduced the artists involved to wider audiences. Peña's art can be seen in the United States Department of States Art in Embassies Collection and the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Amado M. Jr. 21st-century American artists 20th-century American artists 1943 births Living people