the Governor's Arts Award Winners

Edward Gonzales

Albuquerque

2013 Recipient, Individual Artist

Edward Gonzales, painter, is regarded as one of New Mexico's most popular and beloved artists. An award winning author and children's book illustrator, with an Albuquerque Public School named for him, Gonzales has made a significant contribution to education and the artistic representation of Hispanic culture through his art. Gonzales was the first chairman of the annual Contemporary Hispanic Market in Santa Fe which began in 1989 and in 1992 led the initiative championed by the Organization of Hispanic Artists to create a Hispanic arts building at the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. Gonzales' art has been exhibited throughout New Mexico and is represented in permanent collections at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque Museum of History and Art, New Mexico Museum of Art, and the University of New Mexico Fine Art Print Collection. "Reading. . . was critical to my becoming an artist," Gonzales has said. "The art world was very distant from the one I live in. But books made the art world real and attainable for me." As a result, Gonzales has painted to emphasize the importance of literacy, education, and family. In 2006, Gonzales served as the National Education Association's New Mexico honorary chair for 'Read Across America' and was recognized by the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education with the "Outstanding Latino Cultural Arts Award."