Esteban Villa
Encyclopedia
Esteban Villa is a nationally recognized artist
and muralist. A Professor Emeritus at California State University, Sacramento
, his teaching career began in 1962 at the high school
level and includes assignments at Washington State University
, D–Q University, University of California, Davis
, and numerous lecture and slide presentations, art exhibits and mural projects at Universities mainly in California
and surrounding states. He has served as an art consultant to schools and organizations including Centro de Artistas Chicanos, and has done art programs in the Prison
System. He is a founding member of the Royal Chicano Air Force
, a collective of artists, professor
s and students, which was formed amid the Chicano Movimiento
's push for social and political rights.
Villa's work is frequently shown in Sacramento
at the Crocker Art Museum
, Galeria Posada, and Luna's Cafe. He can also be found performing as a singer and guitarist
. In a recent article the Sacramento Bee spoke of Villa as "an extraordinary man: a mural artist, musician, teacher and community leader who is known for his barrio art, which played a role in the Chicano movement of the late 1960s and 70s. The movement in many ways asserted the positive value of Mexican culture."
Some of Villa's most recognized works and exhibitions have included "La Super Chicana", "La Arte Cosmica de Esteban Villa", "Los Olvidados" (the homeless), "Menudo Eaters", "Portraits", and murals at Southside Park, The Underpass to Old Sac., Macy's Parking Lot (downtown Sac.). Projects include a 3-day workshop for the Mental Heath Dept. resulting in a 4'X 9' canvas
triptych painting titled, "Please Help" (about Suicide Intervention and Prevention), and a similar triptych in tribute to the late César Chávez
shown in a Fresno group art exhibit. Both of these triptychs were seen at Luna's Cafe in October/November, 1993. Villa exhibited his 1993 Sabbatical series of acrylic
paintings at the California State University, Sacramento, opening on August 8, 1994 and closing on October 2, 1994.
In addition, Villa has been involved in the production of the KVIE-TV documentary
"Pilots of Aztlán
", a film about the Royal Chicano Air Force, which he co-founded. This film, in which he appears along with other RCAF members, was aired on KVIE in January, 1995. He exhibited a major survey of his paintings and related works at the Galeria Posada in February through March, 1995, titled "The Art of Esteban Villa", and was in a group art show at Encina Art Gallery during Feb/March, 1995.
Villa was involved in the planning of a mural
developed by schoolchildren, Freeport Elementary School and SMAC on the Freeport Elementary School site in the Spring of 1995.
He is featured in The Noun Painter: Works by Esteban Villa Mapped by Stephanie Sauer (Copilot Press, 2008).
He presently continues to paint and draw daily. His work continues to show several times each year throughout California.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and muralist. A Professor Emeritus at California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
, his teaching career began in 1962 at the high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
level and includes assignments at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
, D–Q University, University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, and numerous lecture and slide presentations, art exhibits and mural projects at Universities mainly in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and surrounding states. He has served as an art consultant to schools and organizations including Centro de Artistas Chicanos, and has done art programs in the Prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
System. He is a founding member of the Royal Chicano Air Force
Royal Chicano Air Force
The Royal Chicano Air Force is a Sacramento, California-based art collective. It was one of the main centers of the Chicano art movement in California during the 1970s and 80s and continues to be influential into the 21st Century....
, a collective of artists, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s and students, which was formed amid the Chicano Movimiento
Chicano Movement
The Chicano Movement of the 1960s, also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento, is an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1940s with the stated goal of achieving Mexican American empowerment.-Origins:The Chicano Movement...
's push for social and political rights.
Villa's work is frequently shown in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
at the Crocker Art Museum
Crocker Art Museum
The Crocker Art Museum is one of the leading arts institutions in California, and the longest continuously operating art museum in the West. Located in Sacramento, California, the Crocker has been an art innovator since 1885...
, Galeria Posada, and Luna's Cafe. He can also be found performing as a singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. In a recent article the Sacramento Bee spoke of Villa as "an extraordinary man: a mural artist, musician, teacher and community leader who is known for his barrio art, which played a role in the Chicano movement of the late 1960s and 70s. The movement in many ways asserted the positive value of Mexican culture."
Some of Villa's most recognized works and exhibitions have included "La Super Chicana", "La Arte Cosmica de Esteban Villa", "Los Olvidados" (the homeless), "Menudo Eaters", "Portraits", and murals at Southside Park, The Underpass to Old Sac., Macy's Parking Lot (downtown Sac.). Projects include a 3-day workshop for the Mental Heath Dept. resulting in a 4'X 9' canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
triptych painting titled, "Please Help" (about Suicide Intervention and Prevention), and a similar triptych in tribute to the late César Chávez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
shown in a Fresno group art exhibit. Both of these triptychs were seen at Luna's Cafe in October/November, 1993. Villa exhibited his 1993 Sabbatical series of acrylic
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
paintings at the California State University, Sacramento, opening on August 8, 1994 and closing on October 2, 1994.
In addition, Villa has been involved in the production of the KVIE-TV documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
"Pilots of Aztlán
Aztlán
Aztlán is the mythical ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. And, by extension, is the mythical homeland of the Uto-Aztecan peoples. Aztec is the Nahuatl word for "people from Aztlan".-Legend:...
", a film about the Royal Chicano Air Force, which he co-founded. This film, in which he appears along with other RCAF members, was aired on KVIE in January, 1995. He exhibited a major survey of his paintings and related works at the Galeria Posada in February through March, 1995, titled "The Art of Esteban Villa", and was in a group art show at Encina Art Gallery during Feb/March, 1995.
Villa was involved in the planning of a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
developed by schoolchildren, Freeport Elementary School and SMAC on the Freeport Elementary School site in the Spring of 1995.
He is featured in The Noun Painter: Works by Esteban Villa Mapped by Stephanie Sauer (Copilot Press, 2008).
He presently continues to paint and draw daily. His work continues to show several times each year throughout California.