Inez Garcia

I grew up in Salt Lake City, UT and moved to upstate New York to attend Alfred University. I continued my path by fusing my art and Chicana Egyptian heritage. I partner with local non-profits and educational institutions to instruct sculpture classes, provide consultation, speak publicly, and create representation for women of color in the arts. These local organizations include Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Curly Me!, The Springville Museum of Art, and Salt Lake Arts Academy.

My art practice explores glass through printmaking, casting, blowing and mixed media. I investigate the concepts of western exoticism and othering and its impact on women of color as well as the perpetrators. For example, I use mixed media to capture the enchanting allure of curly hair. Like tropical birds, women from diverse ethnic backgrounds exude a captivating exoticism, often being objectified and desired in similar ways. This parallel highlights how we are often viewed as both alluring and distant. I use text to create a self-aware environment for the viewer that calls to attention her/his role as a voyeur. My projects focus specifically on the tension between a subject of desire and a separation of objectivity.