That series has kind of played with that.” Then slowly, I see now, people are adopting or wanting preferably to buy our own brands. It was a thing of status, but it was an identity thing also that happened over there. “At that point, everyone wanted to just buy American brands. The last series I was doing had to do with brands,” said Contreras reflecting on how NAFTA shaped buying culture after it was enacted. “Some collage pieces are intentional, and some can be reinterpreted. These works usually come out in the form of collages, a medium Contreras works often in. Experiencing most of her life in Mexico, Contreras’s art gives a complex glimpse into what she describes as layers of culture, identity, and influence. I’m Mexican American, so I juggle in-between two cultures all the time.”Ĭontreras’ work sometimes tackles social issues and often acts as an exploration of her own identity, now with an added development of working with children to build identities around language, place, and culture. “Understanding how that plays, going to a different country, the language, diverse cultural situations, and identity, a lot of my work has to do with identity. “I work with Spanish-speaking communities, so that kind of informs my work at the moment,” expressed Contreras. Contreras reflected on how her art has not only grown through that community, but also through her work with children and education. Having shows and opening new businesses that have to do with the arts … I think we’ve all kind of been growing together, and it’s been a great experience.” Angelica ContrerasĪs the Madison community continues to grow and more demand is put into events and opportunities, the past few years have seen a significant response by various communities coming together to highlight and share their art and culture. It’s been growing ever since, and it’s been really nice seeing how that small group has been flourishing. “Through that show, I met several other Latino artists, and that started connecting me to other people. “I started with a show at the Overture ,” Contreras told Madison365. After earning a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in art education, Contreras moved back to the United States and eventually ended up in Madison where she was able to connect with a community of artists. Although Contreras moved from Los Angeles, she grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico. One of the most pronounced differences between Southern California and Wisconsin are the winters, and for Angelica Contreras six years ago, that was what welcomed her to Madison.
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