Amy Díaz-Infante (born 1982) is an active

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

visual artist and educator, currently based in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, with a focus on printmaking, drawing, and design.

Life and education

Amy Díaz-Infante was born in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...

. Her grandparents Luis and Evelia Díaz-Infante, immigrated from

Jalisco, Mexico Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

in 1961. They were employed as farmworkers in

Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...

until Luis was promoted to repair field equipment, given charge of maintenance and developed agriculture equipment until he retired as a welder. In addition, they were dedicated active members of the Migrant Education Program. Díaz-Infante’s mother raised her children while she worked full-time and part-time as a student for a decade until she received her degree at

Hartnell College Hartnell College is a public community college in Salinas, California. Established in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, Hartnell is one of 115 schools that constitute the California Community Colleges, one of the three higher education systems i ...

. In 2017, her uncle Alfred Díaz-Infante established the Díaz-Infante Family Scholarship of $15,000 in honor of Luis and Evelia’s community and educational legacy that was awarded to farmworkers, children of farmworkers, or low-income students pursuing degrees in business, engineering, healthcare, communications, or education. As a result of the Díaz-Infante family's commitment to their Mexican American community, she integrated community engagement in her arts practice, position as an educator and administrator. She has been an active member in youth arts and youth leadership development throughout her career. Her source of inspiration comes from her supportive family members and her mentor Juan R. Fuentes, a fellow printmaker who taught her how to

screenprint Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen in a "flood stroke" to ...

when she volunteered at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco. Her experience in youth arts organizations allowed her to build creative collaborations and construct spaces for people to develop their artistic voices and build confidence. Díaz-Infante was a first generation college student who received a scholarship to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. They rewarded her admission after initially stating her application would be turned down without an application fee. In 2003, Díaz earned a Bachelor of Art degree from

with a concentration in printmaking. In 2009, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

with a concentration in printmaking and graduated with honors. During the same year, she received a Collegiate Teaching Certificate from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

's Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching & Learning. In 2015-present, she became a contributing art editor for the Kweli Journal, an online literary journal for writers of color. In 2017-present, she became a full-time faculty member in Printmaking, Drawing, and Design at the

City College of San Francisco City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a public community college in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, enrolling as many as 1 in 35 San Franc ...

Art (exhibitions and collaborations)

* The Califas Legacy Project: The Ancestral Journey/El Viaje Ancestral exhibition at the Monterey Museum of Art in Monterey, California 2018. * Who Gets to Call it Chicano Art? exhibition at the Axis Gallery in Sacramento,

2018. * Hablamos Juntos collaboration with Pajaro Valley Art Gallery, Museo Eduardo Carrillo and Young Writers Program in Watsonville, California 2018. * Hybrid Spaces: Family Origins & Collaborations with Las Hermanas Iglesias (Janelle and Lisa Iglesias) an exhibition at the Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Lation Americana (MACLA) in San Jose, California 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz-Infante, Amy 1982 births Living people American women artists People from Salinas, California American artists of Mexican descent City College of San Francisco faculty Yale University alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni

Life and education

Art (exhibitions and collaborations)

Further reading

Interviews

Publications

References

External links