Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Angel Rodriguez-Diaz

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.rodriga04
Creators:
Rodriguez-Diaz, Angel, 1955-
Cordova, Cary
Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas
Dates:
2004 April 23-May 7
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
7 Sound discs
Sound recording, master (7 hr., 45 min.)
digital
2 5/8 in.
6 Cassettes
Sound recording, duplicate
94 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Angel Rodriguez-Diaz conducted 2004 Apr. 23-May 7, by Cary Cordova, for the Archives of American Art, in San Antonio, Tex.
Scope and Contents
Rodriguez-Diaz speaks of his mother's upbringing and her untimely death from cancer; his childhood and schooling in Santurce, Puerto Rico, particularly his art experiences; his parents' conversion to Pentecostalism; the importance of travel in Puerto Rican culture; attending the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras; discovering his sexuality during adolescence; living in New York City; the city's gay scene on Christopher Street; exploring his identity as a Puerto Rican American; his jobs at mannequin factories; and his gradual ingratiation into the New York art world, mostly through Robert Morris. Rodriguez-Diaz also mentions his relationship with Rolando Briseño; the motifs in his paintings, such as mirrors and masks; witnessing the Tompkins Square Park riots of 1988; organizing a strike at his mannequin factory; contracting the HIV virus from a partner; Mexican art cinema; the cultural and historical similarities of Mexico and Puerto Rico; moving to San Antonio; choosing the models for his "Goddess" series; Anglo/Latino conflict within the San Antonio art scene; the commodification of Mexican culture in San Antonio; the spiritual importance of portraiture; the history of Puerto Rican artwork and culture, particularly native cultures; and the Smithsonian's acquisition of his painting, "The Protagonist of an Endless Story." Rodriguez-Diaz also recalls Antonio Molina, Sandra Cisneros, Arnoldo Roche-Rabell, John Anthes, Manuel Ramos Otero, Nitsa Tofino, Candida Alvarez, Soon Yong Ming, Robert Sward, Linda Pace, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Angel Rodriguez-Diaz (1955- ) is an artist from San Antonio, Tex. Cary Cordova (1970- ) is an art historian from Austin, Tex.

Administration

Sponsor
This interview is part of the series "Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas," supported by Federal funds for Latino programming, administered by the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. The digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 7 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 46 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Texas -- San Antonio -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- Puerto Rico -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Study and teaching -- Puerto Rico Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists (LGBTQ) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gay artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Briseño, Rolando, 1952- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cisneros, Sandra Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pace, Linda Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Molina, Antonio J. (Antonio José), 1928- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Roche-Rabell, Arnaldo, 1955- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ramos Otero, Manuel Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Alvarez, Candida, 1955- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Min, Yong Soon, 1953- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sward, Robert, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Anthes, John Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tofino, Nitsa Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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