Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Emanuel Martinez Papers, 1951-2019, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.marteman
Creators:
Martinez, Emanuel, 1947-
Dates:
1951-2019
Languages:
The collection is in English and Spanish.
Physical Description:
5.7 Linear feet
0.061 Gigabytes
Repository:
The papers of painter, muralist, and educator Emanuel Martinez measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1951 to 2019. The collection documents Martinez's career as a muralist and personal life through school records, incarceration records, and other biographical material; correspondence with family members and various organizations in regards to art projects; donations, consignments, invoices, and other personal business records; correspondence, proposals, sketches, contracts, and other material related to commissions Martinez completed for various individuals and organizations; loan forms, correspondence, and announcments related to exhibitions Martinez participated in; artist statements, awards, writings, commencement speeches, and other professional activity material; clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, posters, and other printed material; and photographs and slides of of artwork and some personal photographs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter, muralist, and educator Emanuel Martinez measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1951 to 2019. The collection documents Martinez's career as a muralist through school records, incarceration records, and other biographical material; correspondence with family members and various organizations in regards to art projects; donations, consignments, invoices, and other personal business records; correspondence, proposals, sketches, contracts, and other material related to commissions Martinez completed for various individuals and organizations; loan forms, correspondence, and announcments related to exhibitions Martinez participated in; artist statements, awards, writings, commencement speeches, and other professional activity material; clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, posters, and other printed material; and photographs and slides of of artwork and some personal photographs.
Biographical material consists of encounters with the law from his youth, such as citations for minor crimes, school records, Colorado Governor executive orders recognizing Martinez, and other awards and recognitions received by Martinez.
Correspondence is comprised of letters with Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzalez of the activist group Crusade for Justice, letters from family members such as his mother, Jennie Martinez, and nephew, Edward Martinez, and letters from a group of school children who visited his studio. Also included are letters with the City of Denver, Hispanic Culture Foundation, National Council of La Raza, Museo de las Americas, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Also included are letters of recommendation written on behalf of Martinez by friends and colleagues.
Writings and lectures consist of writing by Martinez and others, lectures and presentations given by Martinez, and high school graduation commencement speeches by Martinez. Some of the material includes journal entries by Martinez, a collection of poems, lectures for the First National Chicano Youth Conference and "Pioneering of Community Murals" lecture. Also included are "America, America" by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales and "Emanuel Martinez: A Biographical Report" by Linda Sanchez.
Personal business records consist of donations made by Martinez in the 90s and 00s, consignments, invoices, and receipts. Among the materials are consignments for the Museo de las Americas; invoices for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wiconsin, Madd Castings Inc., and the Helen Jordan Bust. Also included are more general files of correspondence, receipts, invoices for organizations and companies such as Beyond Bronze Inc., La Napoule Art Foundation, and Salazar Capitol Management Inc.
Commission files consist of files of correspondence, proposals, agreements, and some receipts for works Martinez did for various individuals and organizations around the country. Also included in some of the files are sketches and blueprints of the proposed works and photographs of the completed works. There are also files of rejected proposals. Some of the commissions include: the Denver Housing Authority, "La Alma" Mural, Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center, Peoria Pioneer Memorial, Colorado Fallen Firefighter Memorial, West High School Center for International Studies Awards, and "Raza on the Rocks" poster design. A few files also contain CDs.
Exhibitions files consist of correspondence, loan agreements, and printed material such as announcements and clippings in relation to exhibitions that Martinez participated in. Some of the exhibitions include: "Chicano Art:Resistance & Affirmation," "Emanuel Martinez: A Retrospective," "Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum," and "Sangre Nueva-New Blood." Also included are files of 1-day exhibitions aranged by year.
Professional activity consists of material such as artist statements, residencies and fellowships, and work with various committess and organizations. There are also files related to teaching at summer camps and workshops hosted by Martinez. Some of the material includes: the Denver Opportunity Arts & Crafts Training Program, Denver Public Schools School of Arts Art Advisory Committee, Art Students League of Denver, Latino Research and Policy Center, Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta Curriculum Project, Foster Elementary School Summer Arts Camp. Also included are some Anti-Violence sketches and designs for Poder logo.
Printed Material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements, exhibitions catalogs, and auction catalogs. Among the materials are catalogs for the Colorado Business Alliance for Youth, catalogs for the Artists for Colorado's Youth Art Auction, a calendar featuring Martinez's artwork, "The Mestizo Head: Alchemical Images of the Chicano Coniunctio" by Marcos Sanchez-Traquilino, and "Selected Reading Material on the Mexican and Spanish American."
Photographic material cosists of primarily of photographs and slides of paintings and sculptures. Also included is a file on Martinez with photographs of him as a child, at work in his studio, posed with sculptures, and at receptions.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged in nine series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1962-2018 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1962-2014 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Writings and Lectures, 1966-2003 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1966, 1980-2015 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 5: Commission Files, 1981-2019 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, OV 8)
  • Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1989-2014 (0.4 linear feet; Box 4)
  • Series 7: Professional Activity Files, 1967-2018 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 4-6)
  • Series 8: Printed Material, 1955-2018 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 5-7)
  • Series 9: Photographic Material, 1951-2015 (0.2 linear feet; Box 6)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Emanuel Martinez (1947- ) is a painter, muralist, and educator in Denver, Colorado.
Martinez was born in Denver where he spent a troubled youth until the age of 13. He was introduced to art through his lifelong friend and mentor Bill Longley who recognized Martinez's talent and arranged for an art apprenticeship. Martinez also studied with David A. Siqueiros and Francisco Zuniga, and at Metropolitan State College of Denver. In 1968 he established his own studio.
As an artist, Martinez is deeply affected by social and political issues. He has been a member of the Chicano activist group Crusade for Justice and was active in the civil rights movement. In 1968, Martinez completed Farm Workers' Altar, a painted wooden sculpture, for the Catholic mass that was held on the day César Chávez completed a 25-day fast in his continuous struggle for social justice. Martinez also completed Tierra O Muerte for activist Reyes Lopez Tijerina. Other works by Martinez include a mural at Alma Center in Lincoln Park and a commissioned portrait of former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña.
Martinez worked as an educator at the Student League of Denver for 12 years. He is also involved with the Emanuel Project, an organization named after Martinez that focuses on improving the lives of at-risk youth. With the organization, Martinez has completed approximately 50 murals with students all over the U.S.
Martinez has won numerous awards including the Latin American Educational Foundation scholarship and Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. He has works in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Museo de las Americas in Denver among others. His work was shown in the seminal exhibition Chicano Art Resistance and Affirmation, as well as many other national and international exhibitions.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy; Ricky Gomez
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and The Walton Family Foundation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated by Emanuel Martinez in 2017 and 2021.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018 with Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. The 2021 addition was processed by Ricky Gomez and prepared for digitization in 2022 and was digitized in 2023 with funding provide by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and The Walton Family Foundation.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Emanuel Martinez papers, 1951-2019. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Terms of use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Colorado -- Denver Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- Colorado -- Denver Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- Colorado Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- Colorado -- Denver Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano art movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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