Natalia Anciso was born on March 25, 1985 in Weslaco, Texas. Natalia is a contemporary visual artist whose art draws from her experience as a child growing up on the US-Mexico borderlands as a fifth-generation Tejana. Natalia also does extensive work as an educator in the Bay Area.
Natalia’s art education is what brought her in 2011 to the Fruitvale District, where she lived while receiving an MFA from the California College of the Arts. She continued her education at the University of California at Berkeley and in doing so made the Bay Area her home. Her work has had much success throughout the area with work exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Art and the Oakland Museum of California.
Natalia has had an impact on many communities by teaching art and dedicating herself to her life’s work. She has taught art through youth organizations across the Bay Area, serving as the art director at the Mission District Boys and Girls Club. She has truly made Oakland her home.
Natalia attended Mercedes High School in Mercedes, Texas and went on to attend The University of Texas at Austin, where she would earn a BA in studio art. Anciso then moved to East Oakland and attended the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, where she would earn an MFA with an emphasis on painting and drawing. Natalia also received her Master’s degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley.
Natalia launched art shortly after receiving her MFA from the California College of the Arts in 2011. From 2011 to 2015, she presented her series Pinches Rinches, which looked at the horrible treatment and killing of Mexicans and Tejanos by the Texas Rangers along the borderlands after the Texas Revolution.
Since her series’ groundbreaking appearance, her work has been displayed in museums in other states and presented in a book. Her focus on Mexican and borderland populations allows her to present a voice, and her work continues to call out the powers that be and the injustice done to these populations.
Haunts:
- Natalia has spent time in the community in the Fruitvale District. The Latinx community has a rich history in the Fruitvale District, and it is a cultural hub for Latin Americans. She has been living here in Oakland for nine years and considers it her home away from home.
- Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607. She has spent time at museums and galleries in Oakland as well as the San Francisco area. Her work has been featured at the Oakland Museum of California. These places allow her to practice her art and interact with other artists.
- When Natalia is not working or volunteering in the community, she spends time with her son. She and her son get to explore the Bay Area together and play in local parks. They enjoy what the city has to offer, including the Fruitvale District.
~ by Mariah Brown ~
External Links:
Anciso, Natalia. “Natalia Anciso: An American Artist.” https://www.nataliaanciso.com/.
http://www.galeriadelaraza.org/eng/events/index.php?op=view&id=4690
https://peoplepill.com/people/natalia-anciso/
