Emanuel Martinez papers, 1951-2019

Scope and Contents

The papers of painter, muralist, and educator Emanuel Martinez measure 6.3 linear feet and date from 1951 to 2018. The collection documents Martinez's career as a muralist through school records, incarceration records, and other biographical material; correspondence with family members and various organizations in regards to art projects; donations, consignments, invoices, and other personal business records; correspondence, proposals, sketches, contracts, and other material related to commissions Martinez completed for various individuals and organizations; loan forms, correspondence, and announcments related to exhibitions Martinez participated in; artist statements, awards, writings, commencement speeches, and other professional activity material; clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, posters, and other printed material; and photographs and slides of of artwork and some personal photographs.

Biographical material consists of encounters with the law from his youth, such as citations for minor crimes, school records, and Colorado Governor executive orders recognizing Martinez.

Correspondence is comprised of letters with Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzalez of the activist group Crusade for Justice, letters from family members sucg as his mother, Jennie Martinez, and nephew, Edward Martinez, and letters from a group of school children who visited his studio. Also included are letters with the City of Denver, Hispanic Culture Foundation, National Council of La Raza, Museo de las Americas, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Personal business records consist of donations made by Martinez in the 90s and 00s, consignments, invoices, and receipts. Also included are files associated with organizations such as Galeria Sigala, Beyond Bronze Inc., Museo de las Americas, the Hispanic Chamber of commerce of Wisconsin, and the La Napoule Art Foundation.

Commission files consist of files of correspondence, proposals, agreements, and some receipts for works Martinez did for various individuals and organizations around the country. Also included in some of the files are sketches and blueprints of the proposed works and photographs of the completed works. There are also files of rejected proposals. Some of the commissions include: the Denver Housing Authority, "La Alma" Mural, Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center, Peoria Pioneer Memorial, Colorado Fallen Firefighter Memorial, West High School Center for International Studies Awards, and "Raza on the Rocks" poster design. A few files also contain both floppy disks and CDs.

Exhibitions files consist of correspondence, loan agreements, and printed material such as announcements and clippings in relation to exhibitions that Martinez participated in. Some of the exhibitions include: "Chican Art:Resistance & Affirmation," "Emanuel Martinez: A Retrospective," "Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum," and "Sangre Nueva-New Blood." Also included are files of 1-day exhibitions aranged by year.

Professional activity consists of material such as artist statements, awards, residencies and fellowships, and work with various committess and organizations. Also included are writings of journal entries, essays about Mexican American youth, education, the artist Rini Templeton, community murals, and a presentation transcript about the sculpture Farm Workers' Altar. There are also files related to teaching at summer camps and workshops hosted by Martinez, and there are some transcript high scool commencement speeches given by Martinez. Some of the mateial includes: the Denver Opportunity Arts & Crafts Training Program, Denver Public Schools School of Arts Art Advisory Committee, Art Students League of Denver, Latino Research and Policy Center, Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta Curriculum Project, Foster Elementary School Summer Arts Camp, and Excelsior High School graduation speech.

Printed Material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements, exhibitions catalogs, and auction catalogs. Among the materials are catalogs for the Colorado Business Alliance for Youth, catalogs for the Artists for Colorado's Youth Art Auction, a calendar featuring Martinez's artwork, and "Selected Reading Material on the Mexican and Spanish American."

Photographic material cosists of photographs and slides of paintings and sculptures. There is one file on the "Charro" statue, and a file on Martinez with photographs of him as a child, at work in his studio, posed with sculptures, and at receptions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated by Emanuel Martinez in 2017 and 2021.

Sponsor

Processing Information

The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018. The 2021 addition was processed by Ricky Gomez in 2022.