The exhibition catalogue for Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico has received wonderful recognition, winning three awards so far.
Celebrating the Retirement of Artist and Educator Randall Wilson
His practice merges the historical methods of carving green wood with embossed patterning inspired by traditional leather and tinwork of the Southwest. Randall’s sculptures are shaped not only by his hand, but also by time. Each piece is left to respond naturally to the environment, revealing surfaces that echo the temporal processes of nature. Rooted deeply in regional history, his carvings are imbued with a sense of place, memory, and cultural significance.
Randall lives and creates in Corrales, New Mexico, where his work reflects a lifetime of carving. Born in Denver, his heritage spans European ancestry on his father’s side and Indigenous/Spanish colonial ancestry on his mother’s. His artistic sensibilities were formed early during childhood summers in Watrous, New Mexico, in the adobe home of his grandmother, Estefanita Hurtado. There, he was mentored by his uncle Leo Martinez, who introduced him to carving and fostered what would become his lifelong passion for working in wood. Randall’s creative process continues to honor these formative influences.
After earning his BFA in painting from Colorado State University, Randall moved to Los Angeles, where he spent over thirty years teaching at design schools SCI-Arc, Art Center College of Design, and Otis College of Art and Design, where he also completed his MFA in sculpture. His work has been recognized with numerous awards in both design and teaching, and has been featured in national and international media, including CNN’s Around the World.
A decade ago, Randall returned to New Mexico to join the faculty at the University of New Mexico, where he has taught sculpture in the Department of Art. Throughout his tenure spanning 12 years of dedicated teaching and artistic exploration, Randall has challenged his students to think critically and expansively about material, technique, content, and context.
Thank you, Randall, for your dedication to your students, your explorations in material and tradition, and your incredible contributions to the Department of Art. You will truly be missed.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
EXPLORE the work of Randall Wilson by following on Instagram @rgwilsonart.
Making the Invisible Visible: Sammie Chinigo’s Art About Living with Chronic Illness
If you’ve ever heard “but you don’t look sick,” you know how frustrating it can be. That’s been part of Sammie Chinigo’s life for almost 15 years as she manages a chronic autoimmune illness. But instead of staying silent, Sammie, an art student, is speaking out through her art.
Ray Hernández-Durán and Irene Vásquez Discuss Voces del Pueblo on NM PBS
On August 4, 2026, Professor of Art History Ray Hernández-Durán @rhernand65 and Irene Vásquez, Chair of Chicana and Chicano Studies, were interviewed about their work on the exhibition, Voces del Pueblo