The papers of Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator Gaspar Enriquez measure 1.5 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1973 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission and project files, exhibition files, and printed and digital materials that document Enriquez's career in El Paso, Texas.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator Gaspar Enriquez measure 1.5 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1973 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission and project files, exhibition files, and printed and digital materials that document Enriquez's career in El Paso, Texas.
Biographical materials include several awards and certificates, photographs, and sketches. Correspondence includes general personal and professional correspondence, notes to Enriquez, and letters with Bernadine Antone, Miguel Juarez, Elda Silva. Writings consist of artist statements, one notebook, a student paper about Luis Jimenez, and statements on teaching. Commission and project files contain digital photographs and other records for mural, book, and room design projects.
Files for exhibitions include documentation on Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (1990-1993), or CARA, a traveling exhibition and Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge (2004), an exhibition of Chicano artwork collected by Cheech Marin. Printed materials contains art reproductions, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, invitations, magazines, newsletters, and press releases.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as six series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1976-2014 (Box 1; 3 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1985-2017 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1983-circa 2000 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 4: Commission and Project Files, 1994-2003 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)
Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1990-2007 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Materials, 1973-2017 (Boxes 1-2, OV 3; 0.6 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Gaspar Enriquez (1942- ) is a Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator in San Elizario in El Paso County, Texas.
Enriquez was born in the historic El Segundo Barrio in El Paso. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of El Paso in 1970 and a master's degree in metals from New Mexico State University in 1985. In addition to his art career, he taught art at Bowie High School in El Paso for 34 years.
Enriquez is known for his portraits of individuals who reflect the Chicano community in which he was raised. Enriquez has stated that "one is born Mexican American, but one chooses to be a chicano." His work allows those unfamiliar with the Chicano community to connect through his portraiture.
Enriquez participated in two seminal, multifaceted exhibitions of Chicano art. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation/CARA (1990-1993) and Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge (2001-2007), an exhibition showcasing the art collection of Cheech Marin, traveled to museums across the United States exposing Chicano art and the Chicano Movement to the traditional art world.
Enriquez has won the 2016 Segundo Barrio Person of the Year Award, the University of Texas at El Paso's Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Mid-Americarts Alliance Fellowship in 1994.
Provenance:
The papers were donated by Gaspar Enriquez in 2017.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
