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 in many gallery group shows, including Diego Riviera Gallery, Workspace Ltd. Gallery, Michelle O’ Connor Gallery, SOMArts Cultural Center and most recently Galeria de la Raza.

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 cut-outs. 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 Grant will support her current project titled, “Traded Moons” an exhibition dealing with the topic of sex trafficking of Native American women and girls. This exhibition will take place in March of 2012 at Galeria de la Raza. She is creating this exhibition 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

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

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

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

Awards

2011 San Francisco Arts Commission NAACT Grant
Creative Capacity Fund Grant

Collections

Ester Hernandez, Professional Artist,
San Francisco, CA

Nelcy Tarics, Collector, Artist, San Rafael, CA

Bianca Kaplan, Collector San Francisco, CA

Professional Experience

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