Alfred Quiroz

Alfred Quiroz (born May 9, 1944, in Tucson, Arizona) is an American artist known for his works that critique historical, social, and political themes that examine injustice. and grew up in the Millville barrio. He attended Menlo Park and Borton Elementary, Safford Jr. High, and Tucson High School. He regularly decorated the halls of Tucson High School with themes relating to academics, athletics, dances, socials, and cultural festivities. he utilized the G.I. Bill to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1971 at the San Francisco Art Institute, and a Master of Arts in Teaching at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence in 1974. His wife Marsha Quiroz notes: "Alfred is an avid history buff; he really loves it and what he tells his students is to read and research, leave no stone unturned when it comes to investigation."

Career From 1985 to 1989, Quiroz taught art at schools in Tucson and throughout Arizona doing mural projects with children K-12. Quiroz was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1993 and became a full professor in 1998. He is the first Mexican American to obtain full professor status in the Art Department. He retired in 2018 and was awarded emeritus status. She also noted that the artist "meticulously researches history for its forgotten outrages, its glossed-over massacres and land seizures, and brings them to artistic light courtesy of crayon-bright colors." Following his service during the Vietnam War, Regan says "Demolishing patriotic myths has been the artist's job description ever since." According to curator Olivia Miller, "the dichotomy of dazzling colors and the energetic compositions coupled with scenes of debauchery, war, and hypocrisy is difficult, if not impossible for the viewer to reconcile."

His work has been shown in the Apex Gallery in New York, and in Slovakia, Mexico, Spain, and China.

Selected works 1954: Las Dilemas del Barrio Millville - Tucson, AZ 1954 an acrylic painting on panel, measuring 55 inches by 120 inches, completed in 2015. Quiroz's depiction employs a cartoon-like Americana style, incorporating puns and historical details, such as Washington's dentures made from walrus tusk, to provide a satirical commentary on American history.

2005: Back To Normalcy is an acrylic on panel that critiques Warren G. Harding's administration, particularly the scandals and corruption that marred his tenure. The title references Harding's 1920 campaign slogan, "Return to Normalcy," which promised a return to pre-World War I stability but was undermined by subsequent governmental misconduct.

2010: Quiroz was included in the second part of Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson's inaugural exhibition Made in Tucson/Born in Tucson/Live in Tucson, featuring works made exclusively by artists who either lived or worked in Tucson.

2017: His Presidential Series was showcased at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. This collection featured satirical paintings critiquing U.S. presidents, highlighting issues of hypocrisy, corruption, and misconduct.

2019: Quiroz's work was included in the exhibition Face to Face: Self Portraits Before Selfie" at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The show explored various approaches to self-representation, with Quiroz's piece Opportunity Target (2008) among the featured artworks.

2021: He participated in Rethinking Social Justice, a virtual exhibition at Pima Community College's Bernal Gallery in Tucson. The show, which also featured artist Allison Miller, focused on social justice themes, reflecting both artists' backgrounds and their commitment to raising awareness on such issues.

2024: Quiroz's artworks in several mediums, including the 2004 Border Milagros and ‘F’Ulna Ah Wuz Why-T, are featured in the Promega Art Showcase. Six works, including a sculpture Aztec TV (2004), a drawing El Azteca Practicando para Su futuro de Modelo para Calendarios de Tortillerias (Aztec Practicing for his Future Role as a Model for Tortilleria Calendars) of 1992, and El Primero Mafioso de America (1991), a mixed media work on paper, are in the collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. The painting Opportunity Target (2008) is in the collection of the Texas Tech University Museum in Lubbock.

Awards and honors 1986, Arizona Biennial Best of Show 1996 Clinton King Purchase Award, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe (now New Mexico Museum of Art) 1997, Arizona Biennial Juror’s Recognition 2001, Chicano Hispano Student Affairs Teaching Excellence & Exemplary Service to Students Award 2003, Arizona Biennial Pat Mutterer Memorial Fund First Place Award 2003, Fulbright-García Robles Grant as part of the Fulbright Border Program in Mexico 2007, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens Latino Artist Lifetime Achievement Award 2015 – 2016, University of Arizona College of Fine Arts James Anthony Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching 2016, The University of Arizona Museum of Art published Presidential Series Paintings