Joe Galarza

My name is JOE GALARZA; I am a Xica-indio visual artist and musician. My goals as an artist are to preserve and share culture of indigenous peoples of the so-called Americas. Through my artwork I strive to document cultural history-known to most as mythology, recording of migrations, and the worldview that our oral histories as native peoples have preserved. Living within an urban reality my intent is to pose questions through my artwork to address urban social issues within a global age of poverty, oppression, war…

I work in community centers and correctional facilities with youth and strive to bring resources through the arts that can serve as an alternative. Overall, I view my goal as an artist to use art as a tool to empower community; as an educational tool. I grew up in El Sereno, an area of Los Angeles surrounded by gang violence and with much self-hate. It seems without awareness of history we cannot grow individually or as a community. Knowing the past we can have a foundation for the future bringing perspective, knowledge, and self-pride. By showing that I came from the same place that youth are struggling with, my goal is to share with them that they can change and endeavor toward self-determination for a better future despite any odds they face.

I am currently working on a one-man exhibit to show the spectrum of my work called “Iconoclasm.” This page is dedicated to my visual creations though I am also part of music group AZTLAN UNDERGROUND since 1995. I am also part of creative partnership ARTETOLTECAYOTL. We do murals, commission work, workshops in painting and drawing, sculptural work in wood, paper mache, and clay.