Today we’d like to introduce you to J. Leigh Garcia.
Hi J. Leigh, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was 13, I applied and was accepted to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, an arts magnet high school in Dallas, TX where half of my classes were dedicated to visual arts. When I was introduced to printmaking in my sophomore year, I fell in love with the art form.
My printmaking teacher, Eva Kutscheid, contextualized print as a medium used historically to spread information, create social commentary, and instigate political change. She showed us work by printmakers of the Mexican Revolution, such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Guadalupe Posada. Ms. Kutscheid herself was dedicated to the Free Tibet movement, and I was inspired by her use of printmaking to express her political ideations toward social justice and reform.
In my senior year, I decided that I wanted to become a printmaking professor someday, so I attended the University of North Texas, where I earned my BFA in printmaking, then the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn my MFA in printmaking. I currently teach as an Assistant Professor of Print Media and Photography at Kent State University in Kent, OH, and uphold a printmaking-based studio practice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most difficult time during my career in the arts was immediately following my MFA graduation. My husband and I had very little money saved up after being students for 7 years, and the only job opportunity I received was an adjunct professor position that was states away. The adjunct position paid $12,000 per semester, assuming all 4 of my classes met minimum enrollment and were not canceled.
It came with no health insurance, benefits, or moving stipend, and my husband did not have a job lined up in the area. We made the leap to move 1000+ miles for this low-paying position, hoping the teaching experience would be worth it in the long run. It was a difficult year financially, but I took advantage of the printmaking studio access and limited work hours to make artwork and show in as many exhibitions as I could afford.
Fortunately, I only had to be an adjunct professor for 1 year before landing a full-time, tenure-track professor position at a university, but this is not the case for many adjunct professors. More and more universities and colleges are replacing full-time professor positions with adjunct and graduate teaching assistantships to save money. This inequitable system forces many adjunct professors to work decades of underpaid labor with little-to-no job security or benefits and unstable career paths.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a biracial Latina, a seventh-generation Texan of European descent on my mom’s side, and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants on my dad’s, I have followed the roots of my own ancestry to shape my artistic practice. Major events in Texas history, such as the Mexican-American War, Battle of the Alamo, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Bracero Program, have created a complex relationship between my two cultures: white Texans and mestizo Mexicans.
Products of these historical events—particularly undocumented immigration and the racialization of Mexicans—are both the context and focus of my work. My practice is largely based on printmaking; however, in recent years, I have been incorporating papermaking and sculpture into my work. I’m really enjoying the exploration of three-dimensional aspects in my print practice and use these to explore my biracial identity and familial history while highlighting aspects of racial and generational privilege/oppression.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
Growing up, I was raised in a very creative household. My parents were both music educators and continually encouraged me to express myself and explore my passions. If I wanted to turn the living room into a giant tent, they let me. If I wanted to go thrift store shopping for art materials, they drove me and paid for them, and when my friends and I started a band in high school, they let us practice in the garage. I think my childhood was unique in that both my parents understood the unique and important role that an arts education plays within our society, so they never doubted my decision to be an artist. Because of this, I greatly credit my parents, Rick and Beth Garcia, for encouraging me to pursue a career in the arts, despite the stigmas and presumptions that there are no job opportunities for artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jleighgarcia.com
- Instagram: @j.leighgarcia
Image Credits
J. Leigh Garcia
