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Home › Stories › Alfred Quiroz

Alfred Quiroz

August 9, 2016

Note: This article was originally published in UANews. See the original article here.

The UA School of Art professor has gained national and international attention for his satirical artwork.

At the end of his military service with the U.S. Navy, Alfred Quiroz committed himself to formal art studies, which would launch a lifetime of artistic work and teaching.

In his South Tucson studio — a space originally provided decades ago by his mother’s husband, so long as Quiroz took care of the building’s security and maintenance — Quiroz produces narrative paintings that sharply explore the realities of people, whether they are in formal positions of power or are those whose voices are actively silenced.

In his work, whether on canvas or large-scale mural paintings, Quiroz, a University of Arizona School of Art professor, documents cultural symbolism, most often through an exploration of historic events and figures. He engages in a sort of allegorical play as he shapes satirical stories around iconic and popular figures such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, George Washington and even Donald Duck in his artwork.

Quiroz, a Vietnam War veteran who joined the UA faculty in 1989, has gained national and international fame for works exploring issues connected with his own Latin American heritage, and also for his visual explorations of issues related to border tensions, racial tensions and violence, warfare, corporate fraud, and global capitalism.

Also, having been hugely involved in southern Arizona’s mural scene, Quiroz has either designed to co-produced extensive murals, including a piece dedicated to the UA-led OSIRIS-REx mission in 2014 on the Michael J. Drake Building; one produced for the Phoenix Mars Lander Science Operations Center in 2006; and a U.S.-Mexico border project from 2004 to 2010, during which he was a Fulbright-García Robles Scholar. At the UA, he introduced in 1995 the first mural class in the School of Art, resulting in the mural frieze around the Joseph Gross Gallery building on campus.

In working with students, as he has for decades, Quiroz’s direction is offered in no ordinary way. He seems to be much more of a coach, encouraging his students to explore their own narratives and concepts, hoping that he can encourage them to find their own ways of communicating, just as he has.

For his work, Quiroz has received numerous awards and other recognition, including the College of Fine Arts 2015 James R. Anthony Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching and the Dean’s Teaching Award for the 2003-2004 academic year. He also received the LULAC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Quiroz, who is also a UA Faculty Fellow, isn’t merely trying to train students to work in the profession as artists, he says. Rather, he wants to cultivate the creative, deep-thinking capacity in students — something he sees as important regardless of profession or place.

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University of Arizona School of Art
11 hours ago
University of Arizona School of Art

The national APA Wayzgoose conference began yesterday! We're so happy that the Amalgamated Printers' Association selected Tucson and the School of Art for its annual workshops through Sunday. Go to apa-letterpress.com/2023wayzgoose/ for more details. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Amalgamated Printers' Association ... See MoreSee Less

The national APA Wayzgoose conference began yesterday! Were so happy that the Amalgamated Printers Association selected Tucson and the School of Art for its annual workshops through Sunday. Go to https://apa-letterpress.com/2023wayzgoose/ for more details. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Amalgamated Printers AssociationImage attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
3 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Students in galen dara's ART 404 class used their sketchbooks to explore and ponder the immersive space installations and video exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) — moca-tucson.org/ — including "Sonoran Quipu" by chilean poet cecilia vicuña, "Subrosa" by Na Mira and "While Hissing" by Ravon Chacon. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona MOCA Tucson ... See MoreSee Less

Students in galen daras ART 404 class used their sketchbooks to explore and ponder the immersive space installations and video exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) — https://moca-tucson.org/ — including Sonoran Quipu by chilean poet cecilia vicuña, Subrosa by Na Mira and While Hissing by Ravon Chacon. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona MOCA TucsonImage attachmentImage attachment+8Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
3 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Join us for the opening reception of "Scratching the Surface" on Friday, June 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Lionel Rombach Gallery. The exhibition is open now, with work from students in galen dara's ART 404 sketch class. The reception will include refreshments and drawing activities! (Artwork by Phoebe Dubisch) Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Galen Dara University of Arizona Museum of Art ... See MoreSee Less

Join us for the opening reception of Scratching the Surface on Friday, June 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Lionel Rombach Gallery. The exhibition is open now, with work from students in galen daras ART 404 sketch class. The reception will include refreshments and drawing activities! (Artwork by Phoebe Dubisch) Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Galen Dara University of Arizona Museum of Art
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

A visit to the International Wildlife Museum yielded excellent sketching opportunities for galen dara's ART 404 class yesterday. The students' show, "Scratching the Surface," is now open at the Lionel Rombach Gallery. (thewildlifemuseum.org/permanent-exhibits/) Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of Art ... See MoreSee Less

A visit to the International Wildlife Museum yielded excellent sketching opportunities for galen daras ART 404 class yesterday. The students show, Scratching the Surface, is now open at the Lionel Rombach Gallery. (https://thewildlifemuseum.org/permanent-exhibits/) Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of ArtImage attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Artist Lisette Chavez (MFA '14) visited our Book Art and Letterpress Lab, where she chatted with Professor Karen Zimmermann about her career and next week's national APA Wayzgoose Conference hosted by the school (tinyurl.com/soawg2). Chavez works remotely from Tucson as a research assistant for the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation. She also hosts a cool Instagram site, “Show me your print shop” (tinyurl.com/3xpvc4w8) as a resource for printmakers. Book art and letterpress labs from all over the world send her photos, and she posts them with information or tips shared by the printmakers! Her website is at www.lisettechavez.com/.

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of Art
... See MoreSee Less

Artist Lisette Chavez (MFA 14) visited our Book Art and Letterpress Lab, where she chatted with Professor Karen Zimmermann about her career and next weeks national APA Wayzgoose Conference hosted by the school (https://tinyurl.com/soawg2). Chavez works remotely from Tucson as a research assistant for the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation. She also hosts a cool Instagram site, “Show me your print shop” (https://tinyurl.com/3xpvc4w8) as a resource for printmakers. Book art and letterpress labs from all over the world send her photos, and she posts them with information or tips shared by the printmakers! Her website is at https://www.lisettechavez.com/.

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of Art
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1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Photos from Arizona Arts's post ... See MoreSee Less

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