Description
ARTIST STATEMENT
My visual practice centers on three interconnected dimensions of life: the spiritual, the environmental, and the social-political. I seek the spiritual in my study of Chicana and Mexica cultural traditions, in my explorations of the natural world, and in interactions with humanity. These experiences inform every aspect of my work.
Identifying as Chicana is an intentional political, cultural, and spiritual stance. It reflects a commitment to civil rights, environmental stewardship, and a deep connection to ancestry, collective memory, and place. The act of making images grounds me in these traditions of knowledge and meaning-making. I am of this moment, bringing stories of sacred spaces and histories of resistance into this pace of America.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Judith L. Huacuja [wa-coo-HA] is a Chicana artist, art historian, and Professor Emerita of Latin American and Chicano Art History at the University of Dayton. Raised in the Southwest Borderlands and originally from Houston, Texas, she currently works in Ohio. Working primarily in acrylic paint and mixed media on paper and canvas, Huacuja creates semi-abstract narrative landscapes that explore the interconnected relationships between peoples, cultures, and the environment. Her work is fundamentally anchored in the exploration of critical social, racial, and environmental issues. Huacuja’s paintings are distinguished by intense color, expressive forms, and layered imagery that reflect her Mexican American heritage. Drawing upon Latina visual and spiritual traditions, she merges Latinx Catholic influences with Indigenous Mexican philosophies.
© Judith Huacuja