(WXYZ) — For Hispanic Heritage Month, we are highlighting the pioneers who have made an impact right here in metro Detroit.
I had the privilege to talk to Nora Chapa Mendoza, an artist, activist and teacher, who is breaking another barrier by becoming the first Hispanic woman to receive the Kresge Eminent Artist Award.
Every morning after her coffee and a pecan sandies cookie, Mendoza makes her way to the studio.
“I work on the floor, I paint on the floor,’ she told me.
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Thousands of paintings and five decades of work have left its mark.
“Every day is something new, something exciting,” she said.
Her creative flame still burns at 92, with Mendoza saying she started her journey as an artist at just 4 years old.
“My mother died when I was 4, and sometimes you replace it with something, and I guess I replaced it with art,” Mendoza said.
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Each piece tells a bit of her story, like a painting of a crying child surrounded by ants.
“When I cried, they would put me outside and the ants would crawl on me,” she said. “The ants would bite me and fall off.”
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Or one about metamorphosis.
“This painting was painted after my mom had her divorce. She was married to a doctor. This was the old Nora, and there was sadness but there was strength. This is the Nora that emerged from the old Nora and continued to paint and develop,” Nora’s daughter, Lori Psarianos, said.
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Her art creates conversations centered around the Chicano experience. Her art was commissioned by Hispanic activist Caesar Chavez, highlighting the plight of children migrant workers.
“I think she has paved the way for a lot of Hispanic artists. She has given them the courage to go forth with their art,” Psarianos, said.
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Mendoza’s work is world-renowned and celebrated. Several of her pieces are currently in the Smithsonian archives, and in 1999, she was named Michigan’s artist of the year.
Just recently, Mendoza became the first Hispanic woman to be awarded the Kresge Eminent Artist.
“Is there a certain moment or award that stands out to you through your career?” I asked.
“The next one!” she said laughing.
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A book featuring the work and life of Mendoza is being released by the Kresge Foundation. Only 3,000 copies are being released.
So, if you want a signed copy like me, there is going to be an art show taking place at the River’s Edge Gallery in Wyandotte starting on Oct. 18.
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