Eliseo Rodriguez (1915–2009) was a New Mexico artist known for his straw appliqué and oil paintings.

Early life

Rodriguez was born in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

in 1915, exposed to the artists on

Canyon Road Canyon Road (formerly known as Great Plank Road) is a major road and partial state highway, which serves as a connector between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first major road constructed between the Tualatin Valle ...

. As a boy he worked odds jobs for the Cinco Pintores, the five young painters who formed the state's first modernist-leaning artist collective.

Career

Rodriguez's career began when writer T. T. Flynn funded a scholarship for him to enroll in the Santa Fe Art School as the first and only

Hispano The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

painting student. In 1936, Rodriguez found work through the federally funded programs known as the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. He was one of several artists to paint murals for the

Texas Centennial The Texas Centennial Exposition was a world's fair presented from June 6 to November 29, 1936, at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. A celebration of the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, it also celebrated Texas and Western Am ...

. Regional director Russell Vernon Hunter encouraged Rodriguez to revive the Spanish colonial art technique known as "straw appliqué". To this day, art historians credit him for reviving the form and his works are highly sought after by museums and private collectors. Together with his wife Paula, he was the first to exhibit straw appliqué works at Santa Fe's annual Spanish Market. In 1940 he won a prize at the New Mexico State Fair for his painting on glass. In 2001 Rodriguez finally got a solo exhibition, ''Eliseo Rodriguez : el sexto pintor'', held at the New Mexico Museum of Art. Eliseo created the bronze plaques that are set in the sidewalk in front of the Fine Art Museum in Santa Fe, at a corner of the Plaza, and he is included along with the Cinco Pintores and other master painters. Rodriguez's works are in the public collections of the

Albuquerque Museum The Albuquerque Museum, formerly known as the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, is a public art and history museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The museum is located in the Old Town area and is operated by the City of Albuquerque Department of ...

Millicent Rogers Museum The Millicent Rogers Museum is an art museum in Taos, New Mexico, founded in 1956 by the family of Millicent Rogers. Initially the artworks were from the multi-cultural collections of Millicent Rogers and her mother, Mary B. Rogers, who donated ...

, Folk Art Museum (Berlin, Germany), Museum of Spanish Colonial Art,

Museum of International Folk Art The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. History The museum was founded by Floren ...

American Museum in Britain The American Museum and Gardens (formerly American Museum in Britain) is a museum of American art and culture based at Claverton, near Bath, England. Its world-renowned collections of American furniture, quilts and folk art are displayed in a ...

Smithsonian Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

, and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Rodriguez died at home on April 3, 2009. Paula, his wife of 74 years, preceded him in death by about four months. He is buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery for his service in the US Army during World War II.

Awards and honors

*1980: Rodriguez was honored with a New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts *1985: he was one of a select few artists honored by the city with a plaque on West Palace Avenue in Santa Fe

Joint awards and honors with Paula

*1989: Master's Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Spanish Market *1998: Santa Fe Living Treasure awards *1999: Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts *2004: joint National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Eliseo Artists from Santa Fe, New Mexico Hispanic and Latino American artists 1915 births 2009 deaths National Heritage Fellowship winners Federal Art Project artists