Teddy Sandoval

Theodore "Teddy" Sandoval (1949 – December 18, 1995) was an American multimedia artist widely known for his presence in the mail art movement as the "Butch Gardens School of Art." Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Sandoval's multidisciplinary works are inspired by and expressions of his life experiences as Chicano and queer.

Sandoval's art incorporates elements of rasquachismo, what Sandoval himself referred to as "barrio baroque", Collaborations Sandoval had many collaborators within the Chicano art movement. While not a full member himself, he collaborated with members of the Chicano art collective Asco.

The performance piece La Historia de Frida Kahlo (1978) was both choreographed by and starred Sandoval and Asco member Gronk, with Sandoval as Frida Kahlo and Gronk as Diego Rivera. Sandoval's Chili Chaps (1978) – a pair of cardboard chaps adorned with pinto beans, dried chilis (later replaced with ceramic copies), and embroidered with cacti and stereotypical imagery of Mexicans – appears as a set piece in the performance.

Sandoval produced prints at community art center Self Help Graphics & Art, notably the serigraph Angel Baby (1995). Sandoval described the subject of the print, a winged boxer, as a guardian angel who is tasked with helping humanity to "change our thoughts within our hearts and our souls" to end "violence, AIDS, war, and discrimination of all kinds" and "to live in peace and harmony." alt=An image of two winged ceramic statues on Ionic columns, standing beside a train track. View of two "guardian" statues created by Sandoval for the Southwest Museum station.

Sandoval also contributed his abilities as a ceramicist to other public art installations at Los Angeles Metro Rail stations. Using his home kiln, he created tiles for the Hollywood/Vine Station designed by Gilbert Luján, and for the work designed by Roberto Gil de Montes for the Paseo César Chavez installation at Union Station.

Rising costs of the railway's construction delayed the artwork's installation, creating uncertainty for the future of the project. Sandoval would pass away from AIDS-related complications before the Southwest Museum Station was completed. After his death Polubinskas took custody of Sandoval's estate, including copyright of his artwork, through which he pushed the MTA to continue the project. With continued support from Highland Park residents and Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation Chief Ya’Anna Vera Rocha, the project was allowed to proceed, ultimately to be completed in 2003. Exhibitions Contemporary

Chicanarte, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, c.1970-1975. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985. Escandalosas!, Hazard Gallery (Los Angeles), 1975. ¡No Más Nos Dieron Tres Días!, California State University, Long Beach, 1976. Schizophrenibeneficial, Mechicano Art Center, 1977. Testimonios de Latinoamérica, Carrillo Gil Museum, Carillo Gil Art Museum, 1978. Corazón Herido, Butch Gardens School of Art,1979. Recent Paintings on Paper by Rosa de la Montaña and Teddy, A Different Light, 1984. American Pop Culture Images Today, Laforet Museum, 1987. Teddy Sandoval: One Man Show, Wild Blue Gallery, 1989. Images of Hope: Latino Artists Against AIDS, Santa Monica Museum of Art, 1991. Altar por la Familia, Craft and folk Art Museum, 1991. A Mexican Legacy, Riverside Art Museum, 1992. Contemporary Latino Americano Artists, Cerritos College, 1993.

Posthumous

Teddy Sandoval, LA Artcore, 1994. Images in the Community, Galeria Otra Vez, 1994. Joteria: VIVA's Parody to Loteria Exhibit, A Different Light, 1994. New Visions for Historic Neighborhoods, Occidental College, 1995. East of the River, Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2000. Chicano Art for our Millennium: Collected Works from the Arizona State University Community, Mesa Southwest museum, 2003. Asco: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, LACMA, 2011-2013. Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A., ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, 2017-2021. Arte Sin Fronteras: Prints from the Self Help Graphics Studio, Blanton Museum of Art, 2019. In Your Face: Chicano Art After CARA, AltaMed Art Collection, 2022-2023. L.A. Memo: Chicana/o Art From 1972-1989, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 2022-2023. Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche, Denver Art Museum, 2022-2023. Xican-a.o.x. Body, American Federation of Arts, 2023-2024. Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, Independent Curators International in collaboration with Vincent Price Art Museum, 2025.