Artist statement:
I paint in both oils and acrylics, depending on what effects, what subjects and what I feel like painting with. Each medium has its own characteristics or properties that are different, yet they allow us to express the same idea but with a different underlying feeling. We compose with the basic elements of all painting; shape, color and line. However, the feelings a medium evokes in the artist and the viewer are different from one another. It’s like reading the same poem in two different languages. Both versions can say more or less. My responsibility, as an artist, is simply to say more with whatever medium I choose to work with. As for the finished artwork, I’ll leave that up to the viewer to interpret.
Brief biography:
Born in Denver, Colorado in 1947, Emanuel Martinez began his career as an artist at the age of thirteen, when he painted his first mural. His art education includes workshops with world renowned artists and sculptors including David A. Siquieros and Francisco Zuniga. At the age of 20, Emanuel did a major work and two other pieces that are now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.
As a muralist, painter and sculptor he occupies an outstanding status among nationally known artists. Since establishing a studio in 1968, Martinez has received international acclaim and prestigious awards for his design capabilities and high standards of workmanship. He enjoys personalizing compositions for clients and doing public works of art for site-specific environments. His work is lively, timeless, yet conveys a sense of serenity. He has been featured in over 300 newspaper/magazine articles and 30 published books, including a book written on his art career entitled: “Emanuel Martinez: A Retrospective”.
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SELECTED COMMISSIONS:
SCULPTURE
West High School Walkout memorial sculpture in bronze and steel, 10 ft. high.
” La Raza” 12 ft. sculpture in bronze and steel at La Raza Park in Denver CO
“ Flor de La Alma” 35 foot steel sculpture at 10th Navajo St. Denver Co
“Cesar Chavez” one and one half lifesize bronze bust at 41st Tennyson St.in Denver, CO
“ Carl Bledsoe” one and one half life size bronze bust located in the CO state capital.
“Coach Joe Vigil” life size bronze, Adams State College Stadium, Alamosa CO
“Mr. Barney Ford” memorial, 3 bronze figures, Breckenridge, CO
“Moon Flower”, 26’ steel kinetic sculpture, Horizon Park, Aurora, CO
“Mestizaje”, 14′ steel / bronze for Regional Transportation District- Denver CO
William Scherer Sport Memorial, life size bronze – Naperville, IL
William & Jane Scherer memorial, 2 life size figures bronze/steel, Naperville, IL
“Infinity”, Adams State College, 13′ steel and bronze – Alamosa, CO
“Rosales / Pioneers of Chandler” memorial, 10′ steel and bronze- Chandler, AZ
“Mayor Wellington E. Webb”, life size bronze relief – Denver, CO
“Mariachi Estrella” Memorial, 5 figure, 18′ high, bronze – Topeka, KS
“Celedonio Mondragon”, life size bronze – Antonito, CO
“Governor Roy Romer” life size bronze bust, State Capitol – Denver, CO
“Our Lady of Guadalupe”, 7’ bronze relief, Holy Name Catholic Church, Sheridan, CO
“Colorado Fallen Firefighters” Memorial, 12′ bronze relief – Lakewood, CO
“Richard T. Castro” life size bronze bust, State Capitol Bldg, Denver, CO
“Joe P. Martinez Statue”, 10′ bronze, State Capitol Grounds – Denver, CO
“Bernie Valdez”, life size bronze bust, Valdez-Perry Library – Denver, CO
“Eugene Porter”, life size bronze bust, Glenarm Recreation Center – Denver, CO
Denver Fire Station #10, 2- Life size relief figures, matrix – Denver, CO
“Helen Jordon”, one and half life size, bronze bust, Morrison, CO
INTERIOR MURALS
Kachina Restaurant, 7’ x 35’, Denver CO
Crecent Learning Academy, 12’ x 35’, New Orleans , Louisiana
Muscogee Youth Development Campus, 86’ x 28’, Midland, GA Macon Youth Development Campus, 90’ x 15’, Macon, GA
Advent Home Learning Center, 30’ x 10’, Calhoun TN
Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center, 6 murals, 12’ x 30’, Golden, CO
Sumter Youth Development Campus, 90’ 30’, Sumter, GA
New Visions Youth Development Campus, 60’ x 22’, Nashville, TN Woodland Hills Youth Development Campus, 114’ x 8’, Nashville, TN
Morehead Youth Development Campus, 3 murals, 8’ x’13’, 8’ x’ 13’, 8’ x’14’,Morehead, KY
Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, 3 murals, 7’ x’22’, 7’ x’29’’, 7’ x 21’, Madison, IN
Augusta Youth Development Campus, 14’ x 75’, Augusta, GA
Cyndi T. Krier Juvenile Correction Center, 28’ x 8’, San Antonio, TX
Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility, 11’ x 46’, Logansport, IN
Fayette Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 2 murals, 10’ x’22, 10’ x 32’, Lexington, KY
Bexar County Juvenile Detention Facility, 16’ x 51’, San Antonio, TX
Evins Regional Detention Center, 2 murals, 10’ X 22’ Edingburg, TX
Bernalillo Youth Development Campus, 20’ x 25’, Bernalillo, NM (ABQ
El Paso Juvenile Justice Center, 2 murals, 10’ X 26’, 10’ X32’, El Paso, TX
Mountain View Youth Center, 16’x30’Denver CO
Peoria Juvenile Detention Center, 30’x40’, Peoria, ILL
Slate Canyon Youth Center,20’x65’, Provo UT.
Southwest Youth Center, 24’x44’, Cedar City,UT
Split Mountain Youth Center, 9’x30’, Vernal U
Denver Arts & Technology Academy. Denver, CO
Ridgeview Youth Services, 8’ x 40’, Watkins, CO
Community College of Denver, 14’ x 16’, Denver, CO
Carmody Middle School, 8’ x 12’, Lakewood, CO
Bear Creek High School, 16’ x 16’, Lakewood, CO
Central High School, 12’ x 16’, Pueblo, CO
Dalton Elementary school, 4’ x 24’ Aurora, CO
Eastridge Elementary Schools 4’ x 24’ – Aurora, CO
EXTERIOR MURALS
Bernalillo Youth Development Campus, 8’ x 16’ in Albuquerque, NM
Community mural 7’ X 50’ at 2nd Broadway In Albuquerque NM
Juvenile facility 15’ x 60’ in Newport KY
Robert A. Hartman Probation Center, 118’ x 9’6”, Santa Cruz, CA
Confluence Park/Little Raven mural, 25’ x 500’, Denver, CO
Eastman Youth Development Campus, 10’ X 100’, Eastman, GA
Robert A. Hartman Probation Center, 40’ x 10’ 5”, Santa Cruz, CA
City of Morrison/ Lariat Loop, 12’ x 60’, Morrison, CO
Museo de las Americas, 20’ x 30’, Denver, CO
Auvillar Elementary School, 50’ x 20’, Auvillar, France
Greenway Foundation, Central Platte Valley Mural 16’ x 300’, Denver, CO
Broadway Cultural Center, 8’ x 32’, Albuquerque, NM
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 10’ x 200,’ Colorado Springs, CO
City of Delta, 10’ x 40’, Delta, CO
Lubbock Fine Arts Center 10’ x 42’, Lubbock, TX
Evangelical Church, 10’ x 20’, San Juan de La Maguana, Dominican Republic
La Alma Recreation Center, 20’ x 60’, Denver, CO
Curtis-Mestizo Swimming bathhouse, 10’ x 50’ Denver CO
SELECTED JURIED EXHIBITIONS
Cherry Creek Arts Festival 1991, 1992, 1996 and 2005
Allied Artists of America 69th and 74th Annual Juried Exhibitions – New York, NY
The North American Sculpture Juried Exhibition – Golden, CO
Sculpture in the Park – Loveland, CO
Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Foothills Art Center – Golden, CO
ONE MAN SHOWS
“Emanuel Martinez; A Retrospective “, Museo de las Americas – Denver, CO
Foothills Art Center – Golden, CO
Western Colorado Center for the Arts – Grand Junction, CO
Sangre De Cristo Art Center – Pueblo, CO
INVITATIONAL SHOW
“Smoking Mirrors’ Exhibition at the Museo De Las Americas, Denver CO, 2022
“Voces Vivas Exhibit” Museum of Boulder, Boulder CO, 2022-2023
“The Legacy of Malinche” Exhibition at the Denver Art Museum, Denver CO, 2022
Printing The Revolution! The rise and impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to now, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. and at Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth TX, 2022
Emiliano Zapata Despues De Zapata, Museo Del Palacio De Bellas Artes, Mexico City, D.F. 2020
“Our America: The Latino presence in American Art” Smithsonian American Art Museum
Traveling Exhibition:
The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Miami
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
Utah Museum Of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City
Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock
Delaware Museum Of Art. Wilmington
“In the Spirit of Martin” – Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition:
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit MI
The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN
Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, AL
“Arte Latino, Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum Traveling exhibit:
El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL
Terra Museum of Art, Chicago, IL
Art Museum at FL Int. University, Miami, FL
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA
Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
“Smithsonian Institution 150th Anniversary National Touring Exhibition, USA
“Glyphs, Gods, and Heroes”; Two Man Show; Foothills Art Center – Golden, CO
“Artists of the Southwest”; Tucson Museum of Art – Tucson, AZ
“Sculpture Show”; Stewart Fine Art Gallery – Taos, NM
“ Chicano Art Resistance and Affirmation ( CARA) Touring Exhibition, USA:
Wright Art Gallery, University of California at Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Denver Art Museum – Denver, CO
Albuquerque Art Museum – Albuquerque, NM
San Francisco Museum of Art – San Francisco, CA
Fresno Art Museum – Fresno, CA
Tucson Museum of Art – Tucson, AZ
National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution – Washington, D.C:
The Bronx Museum – New York, NY
San Antonio Museum of Art – San Antonio, TX
“ Conquest and Consequences”, Museo de las Americas – Denver, CO
“Viva Latinos!”, Western Colorado Center for the Arts – Grand Junction, CO
“Hispanic Impressions”, LaRoche College – Pittsburgh, PA
“Hispanic Art Show; Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO
“ Chicano Codices, Encountering Art of the Americas” Traveling exhibit:
The Mexican Museum – San Francisco, CA
Foothills Art Center – Golden, CO
University of California at North Ridge – Santa Cruz, CA
SELECTED AWARDS
Legacy Award from the Museo de Las Americas, 2021
Cesar Chavez Leadership Hall of Fame Inductee, 2020, Denver Public Library
2019 Shining Star Award, JDLI Latino Legacy Celebration, Lakewood CO
Inducted in the 2018 Colorado Latino Hall of Fame for Art, Latino Leadership Institute, Denver CO
Distinguish Patron Award 2010, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO
1995 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – Denver, CO
US West Fellowship Award – Chateau de La Napoule, La Napoule France
Silver Medal; Allied Artists of America Exhibition – New York, NY
Young Sculptor’s Award; National Sculpture Society – New York, NY
1985 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – Denver, CO
The Colorado Award, North American Sculpture Exhibition – Golden, CO
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Cherry Creek Arts Festival Poster Artist for 1991, Denver, CO
Department of Transportation, Washington D.C.
Museo de las Americas – Denver, CO
Blue Cross Blue Shield – Denver, CO
Kaiser Permanente – Denver, CO
AT&T – Denver, CO
Qwest- Denver, CO
Children’s Hospital, Aurora, CO
COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT
Board member of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver CO
President: Board of Directors of the Denver Arts &Technology Academy, Denver, CO
Instructor: Art Students League of Denver – 1987 to 1999, Denver, CO
Board Member: The Colorado Council on the Arts, Denver, CO
Board Member: Artreach, Inc., Denver, CO
Board Member: Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, Denver, CO
Co-founder and Board member: Museo de Las Americas in Denver CO
Advisory Committee Member: The Denver School for the Arts, Denver, CO
EDUCATION
Metropolitan State College – Denver, CO
Juarez Lincoln University, Denver, CO
Apprenticeship with David A. Siqueiros, painter/muralist
Selected Sculpture and Painting Workshops: Francisco Zuniga, Stanley Bliefield,
David Laffel, Richard Schmid, Zenos Frudakis, Richard Miller and Cleo Hartwig
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