Celeste De Luna (born 1974) is an American

Chicana Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American iden ...

visual artist,

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, 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 proce ...

, and educator. She identifies as self-taught and is known for large-scale woodcut prints and fabric installations, focusing on capturing personal and collective experiences.

Biography

De Luna lived in Illinois in her early life, and was raised in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. She is a second generation

Tejana Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in th ...

. In Texas, De Luna developed a deep connection to the cultural tapestry of the region. Her upbringing influenced her artistic vision, prompting her to explore themes related to life along the borderlands, identity, and migration in her work. She graduated from the University of Texas–Pan American where she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. She teaches art at the

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas ...

in Brownsville.

Art

''Necrocitizen'' is a black and white woodcut print featured on the cover of the book entitled ''Fencing in Democracy'' by Miguel Diaz-Barriga and Margaret Dorsey. The image on this print has a skull representing De Luna's investigation of oppressive structures on brown bodies who are second-class citizens. BorderLand X-scapes is an art workshop whose main goal is to decolonize the border with a futuristic outlook highlighting indigenous populations. De Luna is the cofounder o
Las Imaginistas
This socially engaged art collective contributes to various projects aiming to stimulate community dialogue and social awareness. Las Imaginstas are in collaboration with professors from the

that highlights the mind and body of Brownsville and questions colonial ideology through the architecture of the city. Las Imaginistas is a 2017 Artplace America Creative Placemaking grant and 2018 A Blade of Grass Fellows.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Luna, Celeste 1974 births Living people 21st-century American women painters 21st-century American painters American people of Mexican descent Chicano art Hispanic and Latino American artists People from Brownsville, Texas University of Texas–Pan American alumni University of Texas Rio Grande Valley people Wikipedia Student Program