Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Ochoa (Victor) papers
CEMA 66
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Title: Victor Ochoa papers
Creator:
Ochoa, Victor
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 66
Physical Description:
32 Linear Feet
(76 document boxes, 1 Paige box, and 4 oversize boxes, 352 slides)
Date (inclusive): 1962-2019
Abstract: Ochoa [Victor] Collection. Art files, exhibition files, ephemera, posters and prints and other printed matter, photographs
and slides, correspondence files, and recordings of the Chicano painter/muralist long considered to be one of the pioneers
of San Diego's Chicano art movement and co-founder of the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, a multidisciplinary community-based
arts center devoted to producing and preserving Indian, Mexican, and Chicano art and culture. (CEMA 66).
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
[Identification of Item], Victor Ochoa papers, CEMA 66. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Donated by Victor Ochoa, May 15, 1997.
Victor Ochoa is a widely recognized Chicano painter/muralist long considered to be one of the pioneers of San Diego's Chicano
art movement. He is a co-founder of the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, a multidisciplinary community-based arts
center devoted to producing and preserving Indian, Mexican, and Chicano art and culture. He served as its director from 1970-73,
and from 1988-90. Until recently, Ochoa had been a long time artist-in-residence there. Ochoa was a co-initiator of the Chicano
Park community murals, an internationally acclaimed public art project. He was also co-founder of the "Border Art Workshop/Taller
de Arte Fronterizo arts collective (1984-93).
Born in Los Angeles, in 1948, Ochoa lives and works on both sides of the San Diego/Tijuana border. He received a B.A. in Fine
Arts in 1974, from San Diego State University. Ochoa taught art in many schools. He was a professor at Grossmont College teaching
"Mexican-Chicano Art and History" (1988-2011), as well as "Chicano Art in the Border Region" at the University of California,
San Diego (1995-96). He also taught art at the MAAC Community Charter School (2001-2014).
Ochoa has exhibited his paintings and graphic prints widely and is works have been included in major traveling exhibitions,
such as
Chicanarte (1975),
Les Demons des Anges in Lyon, France (1990),
Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (1990-93), and
Just Another Poster? Chicano Graphic Arts in California (2000-2003). Ochoa also has created set designs for dramatic productions, such as
Handful of Dust (1991). He is credited with painting over 100 murals. He is the artist of
Geronimo a mural depicting the kneeling Apache warrior on the outside of the circular Centro Cultural de la Raza building. The mural
is a metaphor that symbolizes from an indigenous perspective the Centro Cultural de la Raza's concern over social disparities
and inequities throughout our history. In his 1987 silkscreen print
Border Bingo/Lotería
Fronteriza, Ochoa adopted the use of stereotypical caricatures and icons to call attention to the socio-political and economic tensions
and disparities of the U.S./Mexico border region. He incorporates in his visual satire the traditional Mexican
lotería card format and draws his inspiration from the politically charged performance art work of the Border Art Workshop/Taller
de Arte Fronterizo, a program that addressed the social tensions caused by the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Ochoa "art
is part of the solution of issues in society and Chicano art has been the expression of our people's struggle."
The Victor Ochoa Papers consists of personal papers including correspondence, photographs, news clippings, sketches, original
silkscreen, mural projects, and teaching files. There are also 352 slides of artwork, mural projects, and more. Included is
one oversize box containing sketches, newspapers, and magazines. The collection is broken down into eleven series described
below. Each series is organized in alphabetical order while the contents found within each folder are arranged in chronological
order.
Supplemental material acquired in 2013 and 2020 [Box 79-81] consist of Victor Ochoa's personal papers dating from 2002-2012
and includes administrative documents, event programs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, sketches, event and exhibit announcements
[pertaining to Ochoa's professional activities and outside art and event happenings], and slides on Russian Art. An art work
book and six CDs from the 2004 addition were also included with the 2013 acquisition materials.
Series I Personal and Biographical Information, 1970-1999. This series is made up of three subseries and one sub-subseries. The first subseries is
Daily Planners, which pertains to events and appointments Victor Ochoa kept a record of in his daily, monthly, and yearly planners.
The second subseries is
Education. This subseries contains folders pertaining to classes Victor Ochoa took in school. Of particular interest in this series are
the files relating to
San Diego State University, 1971-1982, which consists of one folder pertaining to a class Victor Ochoa took and two folders of miscellaneous information.
The third subseries is
General Biographical Information, which contains
Ochoa's photographs, newspaper clippings, writings, certificates, and his résumés and vitae.
Series II Professional Activities, 1962-2000. This series is made up of four subseries and eleven sub-subseries. The first of these subseries is
Conferences/Workshops, which contains such events as the 2nd Annual Mexico/U.S. Symposium, California Visual Artist Conference, Southwest Border Regional
Conference, Art and Cultural Workshop, Monotype Workshop: Borders Without Borders, and the Congress of the Arts Conference.
The second subseries is
Organizations and Associations. It is within here that information can be found regarding Centro Cultural de la Raza, Chicano Park, California Arts Council,
Barrio Logan Resident Association, Public Arts Council, and Chicano Federation of San Diego County. Contents include minutes
and agenda, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photos. There are a number of files that are worth drawing attention
to here: California Arts Council contains files regarding the Artist in Residence Program between 1975-2000, including information
regarding applications, contracts, conferences, and Vista del Valle Project; Centro Cultural de la Raza contains detailed
files pertaining to Administrative Records, including information such as board of director's minutes, mission statement,
funding, and by-laws, Correspondence which contains letters from the San Diego Convention Center and Camplis and Associates,
Events which contains information about the Centro Cultural 10th Anniversary Celebration, mural marathon, and the San Diego
arts festival, Exhibits which contains materials relating to
Counter Colon-Ialismo,
Sangre Nueva (New Blood),
California: Art on the Road, and
Noviembre Revolucionario: Casasola Exhibit, Projects which contains information regarding the art enrichment program, binational cultural exchange project, teen connection,
and U.S./Mexico border project, Publications which contains newsletters and the Centro Cultural 15th anniversary catalog,
and lastly Subject Files which contains miscellaneous information about the Centro such as flyers, assessment reports, newspaper
clippings, and photographs; materials regarding Chicano Park include information pertaining to Committees/Councils, such as
information regarding Chicano Park Arts Committee, Chicano Park Mural Committee, and Chicano Park Steering Committee, Events
that contains information regarding Chicano Park day, mural renovation, and Chicano Park artist show, Subject Files which
contains miscellaneous information about Chicano Park such as flyers, photographs, and newspaper clippings.
The third subseries is
Other Projects, which contains various programs and projects Ochoa was involved with within the San Diego community. It consists of the
Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo (BAW/TAF), Los Niños oral history project, projecto Caridad, young at art program,
San Diego Park and Recreation leader, Barrio Logan elementary institute after school program, and Baja California tours. The
Border Art Workshop contains additional sub-subseries entitled
Exhibits, 1985-1988, which contains
Casa de Cambio and
The Broken Line exhibits.
The fourth subseries is
Proposals, which contains such proposals as the imperial Wilmington column competition, Mervyn's Expression '90, Normal Height Community
Association, and Gaslamp Quarter Mural Project.
Series III Teaching, 1978-1999. This series is made up of six subseries. The first subseries is
Grossmont College, which contains information such as memorandums, staff bulletins, and miscellaneous information regarding the university. The
subseries is broken down into two additional sub-subseries, the first of them being
Classes Taught, which contains such classes as cross cultural studies 126: Chicano and Mexican art and cross cultural studies 162 & 299: gangs.
The second sub-subseries is
Student Papers, which contains papers from the classes' cross-cultural studies 126 and cross-cultural studies 162 & 299.
The second subseries is
San Diego City College, which contains the screen process printing class.
The third subseries is
San Diego Mesa College, which contains the class Chicano Murals and miscellaneous information regarding the university.
The fourth subseries is
San Diego State University, which contains the mural expression class and the San Diego State University Foundation.
The fifth subseries is
University of California, San Diego, which contains information such as student papers, and the class visual arts 128: Chicano art in the border region.
The sixth subseries is
Subject Files, which contains miscellaneous information such as teaching references and the San Diego Natural History Museum curriculum guide.
Series IV Correspondence, 1971-1999. This series is made up of two subseries. The first subseries is
General Correspondence. The subseries is arranged in two groups: the outgoing correspondence from Ochoa is arranged chronologically; incoming letters
to Ochoa are arranged alphabetically by sender and then chronologically. When envelopes accompany correspondence, they immediately
follow the corresponding letter.
The second subseries is
Miscellaneous Correspondence. The correspondences included are miscellaneous letters that were not written by Ochoa nor addressed to him, but that relate
to Ochoa. They are grouped as incoming and are arranged alphabetically by sender and then chronologically.
Series V Art Work, 1969-1998. This series is made up of four subseries and one sub-subseries. The first being
Art Projects, which includes projects such as the children's museum box show, the nopal boy set design and the border dictionary.
The second subseries is
Mural Projects, which contains information relating to the "Geronimo" mural, "Labor in San Diego mural, "Quinto Sol" South Chula Vista library
mural, U.C.S.D student center mural, Carlsbad community mural, and the Sherman little park mural.
The third subseries is
Published Art Work, which includes
Nation Child Pluma Roja and Project Frontier: Bilingual Education Program. Materials pertaining to Project Frontier include files relating to
Tula y Tonán Collection, which includes photographs, sketches, and stories such as
El Espejo, La Calavera, and
Mata de Espinas.
The fourth subseries is
Original Work, which contains original artwork by Ochoa over such topics as animals, people, indigenous roots, and el barrio.
Series VI Exhibits, 1975-1998. Contained within this series are exhibits Ochoa participated in such as
California Murals off the Wall, Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (CARA), Chicanosaurus, Nine Chicano Artists, and
Insite 97.
Series VII Research Files, 1963-1999. This series is the largest of the series consisting of eleven subseries. The first sub series is
Announcements, which contains brochures Ochoa, may have collected for reference or personal use and flyers of events that occurred throughout
the San Diego area.
The second subseries is
Artists, which consists of various artists such as Aaron Carlon, David Avalos, David Harding, José Montoya, Diego Rivera, and Roberto
Salas.
The third subseries is
General Exhibitions, which are exhibits that occurred in the San Diego area but Ochoa was not a part of. Such exhibits found are
Domingo Ulloa,
Frida Kahlo,
Insite 94,and
No Humans Involved (NHI)
The fourth subseries is
Japanese Art, which consists of information such as the San Diego-Tijuana Yokohama art exchange, news clippings, and a slide series on
the history of Japanese art.
The fifth subseries is
Miscellaneous Research Files, which consists of a large collection of files that Ochoa may have used as a reference guide or for personal use. Such information
found is Chicano history, Mexico, photographs, César Chávez, graffiti art,
Festival de la Frontera, stories/essays, miscellaneous artwork, Ché Guevara, immigration, and Chicano art literature.
The sixth subseries is
Periodicals, Periodicals is broken down into four additional groupings (sub-subseries). The first one is
Comic Books, which consists of a rare collection of comics entitled
Duda, and
Los Agachados. The second sub-subseries is
Magazines, which consists of such magazines as
Community Murals, Pocho, Teen Angels, and
VIVO. The third sub-subseries is
News Articles, which contains news articles pertaining to general art, Chicano art, and miscellaneous topics. The fourth sub-subseries is
Newsletters, which contains such newsletters as
Discovery, La Peña, Raza Unida Party, and
MIRARTE.
The seventh subseries is
Poetry. This series contains such poets as Alberto Alurista, Manuel J. Vélez and miscellaneous poetry by other artists.
The eighth subseries is
Professional Committees and Organizations. This series contains a large collection of organizations that Ochoa was not a member of but was either associated with or
was interested in. Some of those are Centro Cultural Tijuana, Commission for Arts and Culture, Hillcrest Association, National
Chicano Moratorium Committee, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. and San Diego County Human Relations Commission.
The ninth subseries is
Publications, which contains books with various subjects that Ochoa had because they were given to him or he collected for personal or reference
use. Some of those included are,
Directory of Arts Activism: We Will Not Be Disappeared, Fundamental Works on Mexican Independence and the Revolution, The
Fifth Sun: Contemporary/Traditional Chicano & Latino Art,
and
Our Barrios: Past, Present, and Future.
The tenth subseries is
Resource Materials, which contains resources Ochoa used for his artwork such as clip art collection, mural paint and coating systems, and mural
picture resources.
The eleventh subseries is
Theatre, which contains such theatre groups as El Teatro de la Esperanza, Teatro Taller Tecolote, and Grupo Cultural Zero.
Series VIII: Oversize. This series contains materials, which have been removed from their original folder placement for the sake of preservation.
In cases where material has been removed, an indication has been made in both the original folder and the oversized folder
as to the contents origins. There is a sub series included here titled
Oversize Art which contains artwork that is stored either in the oversize rack in Del Norte or in the flat file drawers in Del Norte. This
series is arranged alphabetically by title.
Series IX Slides. Cataloging of these slides is an in-process project. A catalog guide to the Victor Ochoa Slides can be found in Appendix A.
Series X Audiovisual Materials.
Series XI Digital Materials. This series is a supplemental addition from 2004 that contains 6 CDs of image files of art and photographs relating to different
art projects. An inventory list is located with the CDs.
Supplemental materials from 2004, 2013, and 2020 were added to the existing series arrangement.
Additional collections related to Victor Ochoa can be found here:
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Mexican American artists
Mexican American art -- 20th century
Photographs
Ochoa, Victor