Image assets for this folder have not been fully processed.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Gaspar Enriquez (1942- ) is a Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator in San Elizario in El Paso County, Texas.
Enriquez was born in the historic El Segundo Barrio in El Paso. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of El Paso in 1970 and a master's degree in metals from New Mexico State University in 1985. In addition to his art career, he taught art at Bowie High School in El Paso for 34 years.
Enriquez is known for his portraits of individuals who reflect the Chicano community in which he was raised. Enriquez has stated that "one is born Mexican American, but one chooses to be a chicano." His work allows those unfamiliar with the Chicano community to connect through his portraiture.
Enriquez participated in two seminal, multifaceted exhibitions of Chicano art. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation/CARA (1990-1993) and Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge (2001-2007), an exhibition showcasing the art collection of Cheech Marin, traveled to museums across the United States exposing Chicano art and the Chicano Movement to the traditional art world.
Enriquez has won the 2016 Segundo Barrio Person of the Year Award, the University of Texas at El Paso's Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Mid-Americarts Alliance Fellowship in 1994.