Delilah Montoya

Delilah Marie Montoya (born December 10, 1955) is an American contemporary visual artist and educator. She is known for her documentary photography, and exploration of Chicana identity. Montoya divides her time between Albuquerque and Houston.

Life and career Delilah Montoya was born December 10, 1955, in Fort Worth, Texas, and was raised in Omaha, Nebraska, by her Anglo-American father and Latina mother. She earned her BA, MA and MFA degrees from the University of New Mexico.

Her art is noted for its exploration of Chicana identity and for innovative printmaking and photographic processes. She is also noted for her use of mixed-media installations and often incorporates iconic religious symbols in her pieces.

She has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Institute of American Indian Arts and California State University, before accepting her current position at the University of Houston. She was a 2008 Artadia awardee.

Art Montoya's work from the 1990s is noted for its exploration of spirituality through the use of Catholic iconography and Mesoamerican folklore images such as the Sacred Heart, Virgin of Guadalupe, La Llorona and Doña Sebastiana. More recent works have explored migration across the US-Mexico border. For example, Montoya’s mixed media installation Sed: The Trail of Thirst (2004-2008) focuses on the absence of people in the desert landscape. The piece depicts the hardships migrants face while crossing the border. The art piece incorporates photographs, videos, digital prints as well as actual objects found left behind along the US-Mexico border. Sed: The Trail of Thirst pays homage to bravery of individuals who have perished while traveling along the border.

Montoya’s well-known installation titled La Guadalupana (1998) incorporates the religious icon the Virgen de Guadalupe. It was originally created to be a part of an exhibition in Musée de Beaux-Arts Denys-Puech in Rodez, France, curated by Francisco Benitez, titled "Ida y Vuelta: Twelve Artists from New Mexico". In the mixed media installation, the centerpiece is a black and white photograph of a shirtless hand-cuffed man named Felix Martínez who has his back towards viewers revealing a vibrant tattoo of the Virgin. The symbolism of the Virgin portrays redemption. Montoya has been criticized for her use of sacred Catholic imagery.

Another notable exhibition and book is, Women Boxers: The New Warriors (2006) which challenges traditional gender roles by depicting female professional boxers. A portrait photograph in Women Boxers titled “Terri ‘Lil Loca’ Lynn Cruz,” depicts Terri Lynn Cruz with her arms crossed revealing her tattoos standing in front of the Sky Ute Casino in Colorado. Cruz is depicted as a female hero in the portrait in defiance against the oppression of women in society. In Women Boxers, Montoya depicts the multifaceted nature of her female subjects. Los Angeles County Museum of Art New Mexico Museum of Art Mexican Museum (San Francisco) The Bronx Museum of the Arts Museum of Fine Arts, Houston