Artist

John M. Valadez

born Los Angeles, CA 1951
Also known as
  • J. M. Valadez
Born
Los Angeles, California, United States
Biography

Muralist and pastel artist, grew up in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. While studying at East Los Angeles Junior College in the early 1970s, Valadez joined a theater group—performing in productions at the Mexican American Center for Creative Arts (MACCA)—and immersed himself in the study of art history and painting. He earned a B.F.A. from California State University at Long Beach in 1976. Following graduation, Valadez became involved in numerous mural projects in Los Angeles, where he continues to live and work today.

Latino Art and Culture Bilingual Study Guide (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1996)

Works by this artist (7 items)

Otto Natzler, Trapezoidal Open Disk, 1986, earthenware with olive and sang de boeuf glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1987.71
Trapezoidal Open Disk
Date1986
earthenware with olive and sang de boeuf glaze
On view
Vase
Date1965
glazed earthenware
Not on view
Gertrud Natzler, Otto Natzler, Bowl, 1968, glazed earthenware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2021.48.7
Bowl
Date1968
glazed earthenware
Not on view
Gertrud Natzler, Otto Natzler, Bowl, 1961, earthenware with green and blue mariposa glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Irene Sinclair, 2011.48
Bowl
Date1961
earthenware with green and blue mariposa glaze
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.
Photograph of children playing in the water from a fire hydrant by Hiram Maristany
Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography
May 11, 2017August 5, 2017
America’s urban streets have long inspired documentary photographers. After World War II, populations shifted from the city to the suburbs and newly built highways cut through thriving neighborhoods, leaving isolated pockets within major urban centers.