b. 1947, El Paso, Texas

Artist Statement: “Living in various areas of the country, I came to the realization that there exists a common bond among all Chicanos. As a Chicana artist, one focus of my art is to celebrate our culture through images representing these common bonds: our cultural practices, heritage, family values, and religion. The Chicano culture is a vibrant and complex entity that is constantly defining itself. My art is a continued search to define myself and the common bonds of our people, to make visible my own reality, and to create an awareness and appreciation of our unique culture.”

Biography: María Almeida Natividad has always maintained that her childhood in El Paso, surrounded by the rich Hispanic culture of the area, determined her course in life and in art. Her fascination with the history and traditions of the region found a creative outlet in her artistic activities, which were combined from the start with an educational career. After her initial studies at Modesto Junior College and the University of Arizona, she received her B.A. in art education from the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP), in 1982. She later returned to UTEP, earning an M.A. in art education in 1995. During her undergraduate studies she also participated in workshops with such distinguished artists as Gerald Brommer, Timothy J. Clark, Robert E. Wood, and Carmen Lomas Garza. Almeida Natividad’s approach to art is a broad and varied one: she has been a gallery owner and director as well as an educator. As a teacher she has been a strong advocate of the inclusion and integration of fine arts in regular classroom curricula. In teaching art to students ranging from elementary through high school age, one of her priorities has been “teaching them patience—creativity is not instant nor microwaveable.” In her own art Almeida Natividad has worked in several media, including oil, colored pencil, and ink drawing, but she has become best known for her watercolor and mixed-media works.

Exhibitions: In her capacity as an art teacher, Almeida Natividad has supervised the painting of numerous murals in the El Paso area and organized the El Paso International Mural Conference in 1999. Her studio works have been seen in such exhibitions as Fall Show (Central California Art League, Modesto, CA, 1975), Holiday Show (El Paso Art Association, El Paso, 1980), Watercolors and Etchings (New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, 1983), La Mujer y Su Arte (Galería del Consulado General de México, El Paso, 1984), Río Bravo Watercolor Society Spring Exhibition (Americana Museum, El Paso, 1986), A Bridge between Nations (INBA Museum, Juárez, Mexico, 1988), Dos Encuentros (City Hall Gallery, El Paso, 1991), Means to a Beginning (UTEP, El Paso, 1994), Homenaje a Mi Herencia (Glass Gallery, UTEP, 1995), Juntos Perspectives (Americana Museum, El Paso, 1998), Latino Voices (Hal Marcus Gallery, El Paso, 2000), Cruzando Fronteras Juntos/Crossing Borders Together (Los Paisanos Gallery, Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, 2001), and Homenaje a Mi Cultura (People’s Gallery, City Hall, El Paso, 2001). Her paintings are also held in various public collections, including those of the Sierra-Providence Memorial Hospital and Women’s Center in El Paso and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

Highlighted Exhibition History of "La Mantilla"
*"El Paso Community College Faculty Exhibition"
September 2002
*Hispanic Heritage Month poster image for Chicano Studies, UTEP, Fall 2002
*"El Paso Community College Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with an Evening of Art"
Exhibition, October 2003

Highlighted Exhibition History of "Enoch"
*"Homenaje a mi Cultura" one person exhibition, The People's Gallery, El Paso City Hall
August-September 2001
*El Paso Community College Faculty Exhibition
September 2002
*Hispanic Heritage Month poster image for Chicano Studies, UTEP, Fall 2002
*"El Paso Community College Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with an Evening of Art"
Exhibition, October 2003