Dalila Paola Méndez

Dalila Paola Méndez (born 1975), is an American visual artist of Guatemalan/Nicaraguan/Salvadoran descent.

Méndez's work incorporates painting, photography, and film. As a child, she spent many hours in Los Angeles' public libraries where she was introduced to different art forms. Méndez credits taking art classes at East Hollywood's Barnsdall Art Park for igniting her love for the arts. Feliciano Ama is portraying one of the leaders of the Salvadoran Civil War in a rebellion against the government's repression of political freedoms and perceived election fraud; the painting is described as "...evoking the memory of Ama's hanging...without a noose and without bound hands." Mendez is described as letting Feliciano Ama "...embody his role as a community spiritual leader..." the way he had in the Salvadoran Civil War. Through words like these, she is also credited as having inspired others like Micaela Jamaica Díaz-Sánchez to use her works to "...reimagine the sociological, political [and] cultural..." themes to represent the variations of experiences and history among those that are of "...immigrant, and working-class Latina positionalities." Through her work, she also hopes to express the legacy she describes as a reflection of their "...working-class backgrounds..."

Film Dalila Méndez has worked on several films as both production designer and art director. Since the early 2000s, Méndez has collaborated with fellow Womyn Image Makers (WIM) filmmakers, like Aurora Guerrero, on several projects. Pura Lengua (2005). Set in Los Angeles, the film tells the story of a queer Latina poet's experience navigating violence in her community. Viernes Girl (2005). The film explores a week in the life of two Salvadoran siblings. Mosquita y Mari (2012). Set in Hunting Park, the film explores identity, gender, and sexuality through the relationship of two young Chicanx girls.