Local artist and art historian, Cuca Montoya, spoke about her experiences through her artwork in a lecture given at BC’s Levan Center on Oct. 18. Montoya’s work was showcased on several panels during the event, and she touched on how the struggles of Hispanic farmworkers inspired her art.
The art featured at the event was a part of a series titled “Bajo El Mismo Sol” or under the same sun. It was inspired by the grueling labor done by Hispanic farm workers. Her pieces are a vibrant display of colors that show the conditions of the workers. On the last six panels titled “The Burden of Labor” Montoya spent hours trying to accurately depict the intense heat in the fields through the art through shades of red orange and yellow.
Montoya opened with a description of her early life. At the age of two her family moved to the U.S from Mexico, and her childhood was spent in East Bakersfield.
Many of her pieces are based on farm workers that she would see growing up or knew personally within her family. “I understand that my artwork can sometimes be troubling to view,” she said. Montoya spoke about how the life of an immigrant worker isn’t easy and often pays little.
When she was younger, she worked at an auto parts store in Lamont close to the fields. Montoya witnessed the immigrant guides or simply known as “coyotes” who would drop off people who were ready to work from the moment they stepped foot in the U.S.
She spoke about how the immigrants often didn’t speak any English at all. It was even harder for those spoke with uncommon dialects like, “Zapoteco” or “Mixteco” which made communication difficult with the other workers.
On their days off the workers would spend their time in the parts store fixing their vans that would transport themselves and many other workers to the fields. She described this experience as a sort of basis for her inspiration and her journey in art.
After the event, Montoya stated, “It takes a community to support an artist.” She wants her work to honor those who work endlessly and thanks those around her for support and making it possible.