Abstract

Antonio E. Garcia (1901-1996) was a Texas-based artist who developed a Regionalist aesthetic that helped define the art of this region. Born in Monterey, Mexico, Garcia was sent to San Diego, Texas, in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago from 1927-1930. After graduation, he returned to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he built a career by developing his own unique South Texas Regionalism, celebrating both Hispanic and black cultures. His cultural imprint still can be felt in South Texas art today. Like the sculptor, Octavio Medellín and many others, Garcia spent many summers in Mexico to work, to teach, and to integrate Mexican influences into his work. This presentation will explore his particular iteration of Regionalism through social narratives and religious works.

About the presenter

Dr. Carey Rote received her Ph.D. in 1987 from the University of Texas at Austin in the field of Pre-Columbian Art. She arrived at Texas A & M University—Corpus Christi in the fall of 1987 where she has taught for the past 38 years. Dr. Rote is also knowledgeable in the fields of Colonial and Modern Mexico and the contemporary art of the Chicanx movement in the United States. She has several publications and has presented numerous papers. She has also curated a broad number of art exhibitions, including several about the Dia De Muertos celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her current work focuses on the expansion of the Chicanx movement throughout the United States. She just completed a chapter for a book on Jose Francisco Trevino. She also co-curated an exhibition on South Texas Chicanx artists at the Weil Gallery at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi from November 2024 through February 2025.