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ALAC's resident artists
(listed alphabetically)
Gil Bivins
I grew up in Phoenix with the desire to chase my dreams. My grandfather was my biggest inspiration in mentoring me to be a leader and not a follower. As a child and young teenager, my mother would send us to my uncle's ministry in Sonora Mexico where we would teach kids how to read in English and share arts and crafts programs that we would bring from the United States. My grandfather would encourage us to make a difference in these young children that didn’t have the resources that we had in the United States, I thrived in making a difference in these kids' lives that would eventually becoming lifelong friends. I would eventually focus on my studies at Phoenix Community College where I would receive my Associate of Arts in business, while working at Ramada Inns Inc., as a young adult. Eventually landing my first corporate executive job at Ramada Inns, Inc., with the opportunity to travel throughout the country. My eagerness to succeed in the business world earned favorable management positions with Regency Publications, Inc, as Executive Director of Global Sales; Interactive TV Systems, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, LandCorp, Executive Director of Sales & Marketing with the focus of Northern America Sales; Cor-Tech International, Business Development Manager, driving revenues through a total of 38 offices throughout my region, in the Western United States. Read the full bio.
Pierston Doctor
Pushing my dynamic style through perspective poses that show powerful movements and gesture. As a Dine artist, I'm portraying and understanding my indigenous stories and hope to pass them on to my future kin, and hope they feel something when looking upon them. I hope to keep pushing my pieces by questioning what's been done and what I can paint by respectfully painting within what we keep sacred and what we may share. My name is Piersten Doctor and I'm born and raised here in Arizona. My favorite mediums is oil paint as I like to do fine art pieces as well as thick paintings with pallet knifes. I love mixing oil pastel with oil paint as it's something that excites my passion as each new piece is created. I hope to learn and do more murals as I'm still a novice with spray paint but very happy to be learning from my community of artist and mentors Jose Andres Giron and Roman P. Reyes at the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural center. Read full bio in English and Spanish.
Jose Andres Giron
José Andrés Girón has been dedicated to art. Hispanic/Latino cultura. Andrés, as he like to call himself, was born in Phoenix and lived next to the airport close to the Golden Gate Barrio. After the Vietname war, using his GI Benefits, he attended art school at the Hollywood Art Center in California, Phoenix College and ASU in Arizona, where he majored in Art Education. Along other artists, Andrés began to show at parks, community events or wherever there was an audience. He was a member of MARS and ARIZLTAN, which started a Latino arts movement in the late seventies and early eighties in Phoenix, Arizona. In New Mexico he was awarded “Outstanding Artist 2003” in the Contemporary Hispanic Market in Santa Fe, awarded first place in Albuquerque’s Spanish Market and has received awards and citations too numerous to mention. His art is part of the collection of the Latino Art Archives in the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and is the collectable investment in Latino Art History. Read the full bio.
My name is Carlos L J Montufar, a first-generation Chicano, a Mexican-Salvadorian mix and true lover of the arts. Being born in Monterey Park, CA, my mother took me to a Flamenco performance at Placita Olvera in Los Angeles, and though I was very young, the impact it had on me would eventually set my path as a dancer. Meanwhile, my family later moved to El Paso, TX, where I would develop my drawing and painting skills, later gaining recognition through community arts awards and mural painting for my graduating class at Americas High School. Flamenco was always such a passion of mine, but the “boys don’t dance” and machismo mentality kept me from truly searching. Moving to Phoenix, AZ in 2001 opened up the flood gates to embracing my identity as well as making it my choice to dance. I was on a speed lane to becoming a performer, dancing in CALO FLAMENCO, the largest Flamenco Company in Arizona to achieving a scholarship to performing with the largest Flamenco repertoire company in the nation, YJASTROS in Albuquerque, NM. I have had the opportunity of dancing in Doug Aitken’s: Black Mirror with Chloe Sevigny, contracted with CHARO in Las Vegas, NV and teaching in Flamenco arts education to communities in New York and North Carolina through Carlota Santana as well as collaborating with the various local groups in Arizona. In 2016, I established 501c3 organization, Phoenix World Arts Collective, with a mission of supporting our community through cultural awareness and world artistry. it is an honor to be a resident artist at ALAC, producing La Pinta Flamenca, a traditional Flamenco tablao, showcasing the finest flamenco guitarists, singers and dancers from both the US and Spain.
Roman P. Reyes
Roman is internationally renowned as an artist and actor. His art can be seen in the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center and other spaces places around Phoenix. He has a “Bachelor of Science in Commercial Art” from Arizona State University and a “MBA, International” from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He's completed most of his course work for an Ed. D Degree at Nova University. He retired from Phoenix College as a Professor Emeritus after 34 years of teaching. Internationally, he has done artwork and art related projects in New Zealand, Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Mexico, Cuba, China and Brazil. He is well known for his work on the, "Trilogy: The Lord of the Rings" as a special effects artist. The Trilogy garnered 13 Academy awards and Roman's talent contributed to that effort. He was the guest of his “Highness, Sheik Nayan”, of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi where he was recognized for his mural that was described as "cutting edge" created with computer graphics. Another international milestone was as artist-in-residence at the Charleville Castle in Ireland. During his career he has created numerous murals, paintings, sculptures, and computer graphic art works. His painting "Change" depicting Cesar Chavez, Barack Obama and MLK Jr. sharing a "fist bump" was accepted by President Obama while he was in office and hung in the White House during his term as president. Read the full bio.
We celebrate and promote the Latino presence in Arizona through arts, education and advocacy.
If you'd like to support ALAC and Latino arts in Arizona, follow the "Donation" link below to make your tax deductible contribution.
AZ Latinos Arts & Cultural Center, 147 E. Adams St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85004, 602-254-9817, [email protected]
AZ Latinos Arts & Cultural Center, 147 E. Adams St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85004, 602-254-9817, [email protected]