Delilah Montoya: Activating Chicana Resistance

The first publication to provide an art-historical examination of the broad scope and depth of Montoya’s world renowned body of work.

Delilah Montoya: Activating Chicana Resistance provides an in-depth exploration of Delilah Montoya’s decades-long engagement with printmaking, photography, and large-scale installation works, showcasing her contributions to contemporary art through the lens of her Chicana heritage. Born in Texas, raised in the Midwest, and now living in New Mexico, where she has spent much of her career, Montoya and her work are deeply rooted in the experiences of the Southwest and its communities. Her projects navigate the intersections of spirituality, gender norms, and cultural identity, challenging and redefining perceptions through a unique lens intently trained on the roots of mestizaje, the coming together of European and Indigenous cultures in the formation of Latino identities. From the very beginning, Montoya’s work has not only situated and defined Chicana and Chicano identity, it has also served as a tool rooted in activism to demand that these voices, stories, bodies, and histories be seen. This ambitious volume is the first publication to provide an art-historical examination of the broad scope and depth of Montoya’s body of work. This book cements Montoya’s status as a key artist in the discourse on Chicana and Chicano art and culture.

Josie Lopez is the head curator and the curator of art at the Albuquerque Museum. In addition to curating temporary art exhibitions, she oversees the collection and the permanent exhibition Common Ground: Art in New Mexico.