Geri Montano

Bio: Geri Montano was born in Colorado. She is a multiracial contemporary artist emphasizing her Native American heritage; Dineh (Navajo) from her fathers lineage, French, Spanish and Comanche from her mothers.

Montano has been an artist all her life, although, received her formal art education from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1997, graduating with a BFA in interdisciplinary arts which included drawing, painting and sculpture.

After graduating from SFAI she worked as a sculpture assistant and gave various mixed media art workshops. Montano has a strong interest in working with under-represented members of her community. She enjoys and believes in giving back to community as her part in making the world a better place. She is currently a visual art instructor for developmentally disabled adults.

Her work has been exhibited most recently in a solo exhibition "Traded Moons" at Galeria de la Raza and San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery "FAX" exhibition. She has participated in many gallery group shows including Kearny Street Workshop, Diego Riviera Gallery, Workspace Ltd. Gallery, SOMArts Cultural Center.

Montano has participated in a variety of art practices including political street theater with Praxis Artists where she designed costumes and performed. The group formed in Seattle after the World Trade Organization citizen uprising.
She is currently creating provocative, mixed media drawing/collage works using acrylic ink, graphite pencil, and magazine clippings. The works will be used in a wall installation.

Her work is inspired by personal experiences relating to socio-political and feminist themes.

Montano’s work juxtaposes aesthetic qualities with subversive imagery; combining aesthetic, thematic and technical skills, Montano impresses emotional and powerful ideas on the viewer; never shying away from controversial or taboo subjects.

She has recently been awarded a Creative Capacity grant in addition; Montano has been awarded a second Native American Arts & Cultural Traditions grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. The Grants support her expanding project titled, “Traded Moons” an exhibition and community engagement project dealing with the topic of sex trafficking of Native American women and girls. The solo exhibition took place on April 7th through May 12th of 2012 at Galeria de la Raza. The second phase of Traded Moons will be exhibited in 2013; details, date and venue to be updated soon. She is creating the projects with art exhibitions to give voice to the women and girls, and bring much needed public awareness and dialogue which are the first steps in catalyzing change.



Resume

Email gmontano5@yahoo.com
Website www.missionartistsunited.org/artist/redmirage


Education

1994-1997 BFA, San Francisco Art Institute,
San Francisco, CA

Group Exhibitions

2013 Processing War and Trauma, Kearny Street Workshop
San Francisco CA

2013 Persona Non Grata, Campfire Gallery
San Francisco,CA

2012 N.D.N Native Diaspora Now, Galeria de la Raza
San Francisco CA

2012 FAX, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
San Francisco, CA

2012 Now Knowing, Cara and Cabezas Contemporary
Kansas City, MO

2012 Chicana/O Biennial MACLA San Jose CA

2011 "PACHANGA" Galeria de la Raza San Francisco CA

20ll Group Exhibition SOMArts San Francisco CA

2010 Spring Open Studio’s Group Show
Michelle O’Connor Gallery
San Francisco, CA

2010 April in Paris, Work Space Limited,
San Francisco, CA

2008 Transmissions Staff Mail Art Show,
Creativity Explored Gallery,
San Francisco, CA

2003 Art of Resistance group performance,Streets
Seattle, WA

2003 Art of Resistance drawing, Rainer Brewery,
Seattle, WA

2002 Doll Sculpture Show, Seattle Center,
Seattle, WA

1997 Requiem for Mother paintings,
S.F.Art Institute Diego Rivera Gallery,
San Francisco, CA

1996 Student Sculpture Show, S.F. Art Institute
Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Solo Exhibitions

2012 Traded Moons, Galeria de la Raza,
San Francisco, CA

1996 Mural Project, Symphony of One Gallery,
San Francisco, CA

1996 Drawing the Painting, Rouge Gallery,
San Francisco, CA

Awards
2012 San Francisco Arts Commission Native American
Arts and Cultural Traditions Grant

2011 San Francisco Arts Commission Native American
Arts and Cultural Traditions Grant
Creative Capacity Fund Grant

Collections
San San Wong,Director/CEG San Francisco Arts
Commission San Francisco CA

Ester Hernandez, Professional Artist,
San Francisco, CA

Nelcy Tarics, Collector, Artist, San Rafael, CA

Bianca Kaplan, Collector San Francisco, CA

Professional Experience

2012 Member of Indigenous Arts Coalition

2012 Member of Women's Caucus for Art

2012 Panel Speaker at Honoring Women's Rights Conference

2010 Participated in Spring Open Art Studios,
The Blue Studios, San Francisco, CA


2009 Grant writing workshop, for Native American
& Indigenous artists, Galeria de la Raza,
San Francisco, CA

2004 Political Art Conference Collaborator,
Art of Resistance, Seattle, WA

2002 Certificate for Small Business, Washington Cash,
Seattle, WA

1995 Created sculpture props for theater production,
Berkeley Theater Project, Berkeley, CA


Teaching Experience

Present- Visual Art Instructor, Creativity Explored,
San Francisco,CA

2003 Mask making workshop, Freedom Socialist
Center, Seattle, WA

1995 Teaching assistant, Betty Burgoyne sculpture
class, S.F. Art Institute, San Francisco, CA