Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Patssi Valdez

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.valdez99
Creators:
Valdez, Patssi
Rangel, Jeffrey J.
Dates:
1999 May 26-June 2
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
80 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Patssi Valdez conducted 1999 May 26-June 2, by Jeffrey Rangel, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
The interviews were conducted at the artist's home/studio in Los Angeles, California. Valdez discusses her current show at the Laguna Art Museum, "A Precarious Comfort," and the intensely personal nature of the work being exhibited; the liberating aspects of painting and her journey from dealing with the problems and concerns of the Chicano community to a more internal focus in which she examines her personal emotional life through symbol and imagination; how, in her work, landscape has come to represent emotions and states of mind; health problems and her turning to alternative methods of healing; her relationship with Asco and her eventual break from the group to pursue her art studies at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (now Otis College of Art and Design) and in New York, and with a NEA grant to Europe and Mexico; difficulties she experienced with her decision to focus on art school and on her survival as an artist, while trying to keep in touch with friends and peers; friendships with Amalia Mesa Bains, Christina Fernandez, and Gronk, as well as with Sister Karen Boccalero whose Self-Help Graphics contributed so much to the growth of a younger generation of Chicano artists; fellow Asco artist Harry Gamboa, Jr., and their mutual goals in their art to subvert Chicano stereotypes; what constitutes Chicano art and how the Les Demon des Anges show changed her perspective; and her ability to create change through her art.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Patssi Valdez (1951-) is a painter, and installation artist from Los Angeles, California. Valdez is known for her boldly rendered works that vary in themes from homages to female deities to mystical environments.

Administration

Sponsor
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. Funding for the interview and transcription provided by the Smithsonian Institution Latino Inititatives Fund.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

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

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 32 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mexican American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women 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 -- California -- Los Angeles Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mesa-Bains, Amalia Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gronk, 1954- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gamboa, Harry Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Self-Help Graphics and Art, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Otis Art Institute Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asco (Group of artists) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions