Margarita "Mago" Orona Gándara (February 8, 1929 – February 18, 2018) was a

Chicana Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

artist. She is known for her

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s which can be seen throughout

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

and in

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...

Biography

Orona Gándara was born and raised in

. Her nickname, "Mago," means "magician" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. She was a graduate of the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...

(UTEP) and then went on to teach art at Bowie High School. In 1949, she saved $1,000 to go and study at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

. She attended the

Chouinard Art Institute The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 by Nelbert Chouinard, Nelbert Murphy Chouinard (1879–1969) in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 1961, Walt Disney, Walt and ...

. Orona Gándara also studied with Urbici Soler. When Orona Gándara was twenty-one, she got married and had five children. For many years, she followed her husband in his career, only separating after twenty-one years to pursue her own art career. Orona Gándara returned to El Paso in late 1971 after living in California for around twenty years. She began teaching classes at the

El Paso Museum of Art Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250-mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new buildin ...

and opened her own art studio. Orona Gándara also began teaching at the

El Paso Community College El Paso Community College (EPCC) is a community college in El Paso, Texas. EPCC operates five campuses in the El Paso area, as well as courses offered at nearby Fort Bliss. As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of EPCC ...

(EPCC). A mural project she did for EPCC became part of her master's degree from

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. It is the continuation of Antioch College, which was founded in 1852. Antioch College's first president was politician, abolitionist, and ...

. She also opened an art studio in Juárez with help from her daughter who lent her the money for the home and studio. In the state of Chihuahua, Orona Gándara was considered an "art queen." She also attempted to make a difference in the colonia she lived in, Colonia Libertad, using art and murals. She left Juárez in 2011 when there was a large amount of violence in the city and when she was personally targeted by '' sicarios'' (assassins) who noticed that her truck had Texas

license plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...

. After leaving Mexico, she continued to create art, calling her next exhibition of paintings, ''Immigrant Pilgrims'', her "revenge" on those who drove her out of her home in the colonia. Orona Gándara died in her home of natural causes on February 18, 2018.

Work

Orona Gándara is known as one of the few women creating

s in El Paso's art history. Her work is a cultural mix of both Mexican and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

themes and inhabits the concept of nepantla. Her murals, ''Señor Sol'' and ''Time and Sand'' were created by her working alone. ''Señor Sol'' has degraded over time and Orona Gándara considered it "neglected and dishonored." Some of her work was influenced by

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

themes, such as those displayed on La Avenida de los Aztecas and in the Tourist Information Center for Chamizal in Juárez. Gándara's final work was a tiled sculpture at her own home in Central El Paso based on St. Francis of Assisi.

References

External links

Biografia Margarita "Mago" Gandara
(2010 Video in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Orona Gándara, Mago 1929 births 2018 deaths American artists of Mexican descent American women artists American muralists Artists from El Paso, Texas People from Ciudad Juárez University of Texas at El Paso alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Chouinard Art Institute alumni Educators from Texas American women educators American women muralists 21st-century American women