Maria Cristina Tavera

Maria Cristina Tavera ("Tina") is a contemporary Latinx artist, curator, and community activist who lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.[1] Influenced by her dual citizenship, as well as her transnational movement between her residing Minnesota and Mexico families, she combines historical and contemporary texts and images from recognizable Latin American myths, legends, and present news. Tavera uses her prints, paintings, installations, and Dia de los Muertos ofrendas, or altars, to explore the way that national and cultural icons symbolize complex identities and can construct shared communities at home and abroad.[2] Her artwork is both humorous and confrontational as she invites her viewers to question constructs of race, gender, ethnicity and national and cultural identities.[3] She has exhibited her artwork and curated shows all around the world, and has artworks permanently installed in several art exhibits throughout Minnesota.[1]

Education and career

In 1990, Tavera earned a B.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in Latin American Studies, from the University of Minnesota.[4] She later achieved a master's degree from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, with an emphasis on Leadership in the Arts.[3]

Tavera currently works at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, where she serves as the Director for the TRIO-McNair Scholars program, which is a program that helps low income, first-generation and underrepresented students with admission to graduate school.[5] Before working at Augsburg, Tavera founded the Mira Gallery at the Instituto de Cultura y Educacion at El Colegio in South Minneapolis, where she worked for two years curating exhibitions by Latinx artists. She has also previously worked as the Community Organizer for Latinos en Accion, a community outreach program that serves the Latinx community in the Twin Cities.[5]

Artwork

In 2018, her work was featured on the cover and in an artist spotlight in the academic journal, Diálogo: An Interdisciplinary Studies Journal, published by the University of Texas Press.[6] Her art works are included in the collections of the Hagfors Center at Augsburg University; the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, MN; the Plains Museum in Fargo, ND; and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, MN.

Curatorial work

Tavera has curated a number of exhibitions in the Twin Cities and beyond. In 2016, she curated an exhibition, entitled "Sus Voces," or "Their Voices," at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, which presented the work of nine women printmakers from Mexico.[7] In 2015, she was instrumental in organizing local galleries and artists to be a part of the Twin Cities Takeover by feminist art and performance group, the Guerrilla Girls.[8] She has additionally curated exhibitions at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Macalester College, and has served as a curatorial panelist for both the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Arts Center.[3]

Interviews

2016- Radio Gallery: Un-Typing Casta, KUMD 103.3 FM[9]

2016- Discovering Your Creative Voice: An interview with artist Tina Tavera[10]

2014- Tina Tavera, In Progress[11]

Exhibitions

2018

  • Post Patriarchal Feminism, Co Exhibitions, 8’ X 8’ installation, Minneapolis, December–January 2019
  • Two-Person exhibit: Coyotes y Gallinas, prints, Joseph Gazzuolo Fine Arts Gallery, North Hennepin Community College, October–November
  • El Gran Choque (The Great Crash) portfolio, print, Impact 10: ENCUENTRO, Biblioteca Central de Cantabria, Salamanca, Spain, September
  • Migrarte, Casa de la Universidad de California en Mexico, monprints, Mexico City, Mexico, April
  • Espejos y Reflejos, Third Place Gallery, S., monoprints, Minneapolis, April. Traveled to Academic Cesar Chavez, May-AugustArt Is My Weapon, Haywood Gallery, inkjet print, Minneapolis, January
  • Eyes Should be Washed, Pirsig Project, drawing, Minneapolis, January
  • Commissioned permanent 6 woodblock print installation, Hagfors Center, Augsburg University, Minneapolis, January

2017

  • Come Home Safely, Installation, Minnesota History Center, October - November
  • Art Is My Weapon, Gamut Gallery, inkjet print, October
  • Solo: Tell and Retell/ Contar y Recontar, Electric Machete, Saint Paul, April 9–30
  • WARHOL: Minnesota Goes Pop, Rochester Center Arts, Rochester, February 4 - May 15
  • Latino Art Migration, Concordia Art Center, Concordia University, St. Paul, February 2–24

2016

  • Selected Works, Public Functionary, Minneapolis, December 1–30, 2016
  • Solo: Un-Typing Casta, Installation, Tweed Museum, Duluth, November 2016-January 2017
  • Two-Person exhibition, The House on Mango Street, Park Square Theatre, Oct 11 – Nov 4
  • Art of Darkness: Inspired by the Paranormal, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, Mpls, July–August
  • Solo: Reconfiguring Casta, Installation, Christiansen Gallery, Augsburg College, February–March

2015

  • Fabulista, 15th year celebration, Drawings, Grupo Soap del Corazon, California Building, December
  • Spirit Room Winter Carnival, Paintings, Spirit Room Galleries, Fargo, North Dakota, February

2014

  • Solo: Americo: Celebrating the Spirits, Installation, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, November
  • Solo: Urban Legends, Woodblock & linoleum prints, Fox Egg Gallery, Minneapolis, July
  • The Enduring Spirit of Labor, Print, Quarter Gallery, Regis Center for Art, U of MN, April–May
  • 2014 Deviant Art: Dispelling Myths, Prints, Northrup King Building, Gallery 332, Mpls, April
  • Prints on Ice 2013, Print, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Mpls, December 2013 – January

2013

  • Print Exhibition Curated by Ruthann Godollei, 801 Gallery, Minneapolis, 6 prints, February–May
  • Sixth Annual North of the 45th Parallel Juried Exhibition, Steamroller print, DEVO Gallery, The School of Art and Design, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, June–August
  • Maximino Ofrenda, Day of the Dead installation, El Colegio Charter School, October

2011-2012

  • Chavela Vargas Ofrenda, Day of the Dead installation, Midtown Global Market, October
  • Curb Culture, 1 of 20 Powderhorn and Central sandwich boards, Pillsbury House, Minneapolis, July
  • This Time Its Forever: Portrait Interpretations of the Icon Scott Seekins, Gallery 13, Minneapolis, embroidered hair, February

2010

  • El Milagro, Grupo Soap del Corazon, Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis, La Virgen installation, August
  • Soap 99, Soap Factory, Minneapolis, painting, September
  • Mexico 1810/ 1910/ 2010, Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis, leather tooling, May

2009

  • Boxing Ring Ofrenda, Plaines Art Museum, Fargo, Day of the Dead installation, November
  • Day of the Dead, Plaines Art Museum, Fargo, steamroller prints, November
  • Two Person exhibit:  El Circo: Xavier and Maria Cristina Tavera, California Gallery, Minneapolis, 17 paintings

2007

  • Nuestra Frida, Grupo Soap del Corazon, Casket Building, Minneapolis, embroidered hair, 2007
  • Day of the Dead, National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL, steamroller print, 2007
  • Muertos en Acción on Lake Street, Panaderia El Rey, Minneapolis, paper cutting, 2007

References
  1. https://www.mariacristinatavera.com/abouttheartist. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Visualizing women's stories - Minnesota Women's Press". www.womenspress.com. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  3. "Maria Cristina Tavera - Mn Artists". www.mnartists.org. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  4. "Maria Cristina Tavera, artist". Maria Cristina Tavera. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  5. "Introducing Tina Tavera, Community Organizer for Latinos En Acción". Twin Cities Daily Planet. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  6. "About the Artist: María Cristina Tavera". Diálogo. 21 (1): 113–114. 2018-04-11. doi:10.1353/dlg.2018.0011. ISSN 2471-1039.
  7. Combs, Marianne. "Prints from Mexico shine light on disenfranchised artists". Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  8. "Guerrilla Girls Twin Cities Takeover". mcad.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  9. Jenson, Maija. "Radio Gallery: Un-Typing Casta". Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  10. "Discovering Your Creative Voice: An interview with artist Tina Tavera". Stephen Dupont. 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  11. "Tina Tavera". In Progress. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
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