Paz de la Calzada is a Spanish-born American

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

artist and illustrator, working in

drawing Drawing is a visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface. The instruments used to make a drawing are pencils, crayons, pens with inks, brushes with paints, or combinations of these, and in more mod ...

, installation, and

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

. The relationship of nature to human life is a major theme in her work. De la Calzada was born and raised in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, which largely informs her art practice. She lives in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Early life and education

Paz de la Calzada was born in Spain. De la Calzada received a BFA degree from the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is ...

; and received an MFA degree in Painting from the

Academy of San Carlos The Academy of San Carlos ( es, Academia de San Carlos) is located at 22 Academia Street in just northeast of the main plaza of Mexico City. It was the first major art academy and the first art museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1781 as ...

, part of the Faculty of Arts and Design (UNAM). She moved to the United States in 2003.

Career

De la Calzada also has Illustrations published in Rebecca Solnit's books, "Infinite City", and the "Mother of All Questions". Her work is in the permanent collection of the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA and Abanca Collection, Spain De la Calzada has created several

installations and exhibitions in the United States and Spain, including: * The Nomadic Labyrinth, commissioned by the

San Francisco Arts Commission The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy in San Francisco, Cal ...

, San Francisco, California. This interactive public installation has been installed at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The ...

's Manresa Gallery, San Francisco; Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz; and the

Montalvo Arts Center The Montalvo Arts Center is a non-profit center for the arts in Saratoga, California, United States. Open to the public, Montalvo comprises a cultural and arts center, a park, hiking trails and the historic Villa Montalvo, an Italian Mediterran ...

, Saratoga, among other locations. * Central Market Dreamscape, commissioned by the

, San Francisco, California; * "Creative Attention: Art and Community Restoration", at the Palo Alto Arts Center, Palo Alto, California; * Portale, Thacher Gallery,

, San Francisco, California * Mural installation at 836M Gallery, San Francisco, California * The Bucolic Labyrinth, commissioned by the Palo Alto Public Art Program, Palo Alto, California * Carpet Diem at Sala Alterarte, University of Vigo, Ourense, Spain

Awards

De la Calzada was awarded the Cultural Equity Grant from the

and residencies from Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, Schwandorf,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

; the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA; Djerassi Resident Artists Program,

Woodside, CA Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States, home to many technology billionaires and investment manager ...

, among others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calzada, Paz de la American women artists Artists from San Francisco Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Salamanca alumni Academy of San Carlos alumni Spanish emigrants to the United States 21st-century Spanish women artists 21st-century American women artists