Contact Info
email : samanthamariaespinoza@gmail.com
instagram : @xoc.hitl
Her Quick Bio
Samantha Maria Xochitl Espinoza is a Chicana artist coming from a Mexican and Salvadoran family. She grew up in L.A and in Denver, CO and currently resides on Lisjan Ohlone land (Oakland, CA). She references living in between worlds, identities, and homes as a marker of her queer, Chicana experience. Her work reveals her generational and personal history, moments, and traumas as openings for wider conversations on racialized, gendered, and capitalist oppressions. She creates art solely for other brown women to enjoy, and as a gift to her communities in the hopes that they will see parts of themselves reflected or whispered within her work. She is a youth educator, organizer, daughter, sister and falls in love frequently.
Her Formal Artist Statement
Storytelling is one of the ways oppressed, marginalized, and ignored people share their realities. I examine what stories are passed on and the power in recounting one’s narrative through printmaking, textiles, video work, and writing. My own fractured history as a Salvadorena, Mexicana, Chicana-identified person existing in the United States provides the basis of sensitivity in my work. My work takes up space and acts as a form of resistance, similar to that of my brown body. Often, I reference historical trauma, brown queerness, and treatment of brown people in the United States. Our stories serve as evidence of prejudice and empowerment, the passing on of emotions. Through excavating the layers of my own narrative that create my reality, my printwork archives the tender components of coming from a marginalized family, community, and self. My passing of story to you is an act of survival despite violence inflicted on my past lives and the lives of women before me. Witnessing my work, you interact with my past and present families. You are experiencing restricted and oppressed narratives of my own community, as well as the beauty of our collective soul.
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CV
Samantha Maria Xochitl Espinoza
samanthamariaespinoza@gmail.com
samanthamariaespinoza.com
EDUCATION
2020 - Fabrication and Welding Program. Laney College, Oakland, CA. (In progress)
2018 - Bachelors of Fine Arts, Individualized Program, Printmaking and Textiles Concentration. California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 (Future) - Solo Exhibition at 2727 California Street
2018 - Manzanilla. Isabelle Percy West Gallery, Oakland, CA.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 - Pop-up for Kadamay, Virtual Fundraiser by Gabriela Oakland.
2020 - Common Field Virtual Conference, Virtual Experience by Common Field.
- It’s A Moment, ProArts Gallery. Oakland, CA.
- Rest is Power. In Collaboration with the Manetti Shrem Museum and UC Davis.
Davis, CA.
2019 - A Reminder for the Black and Brown Body to Dream. CTRL + SHFT
Collective. Oakland, CA.
- Wolfman Monthly Printed Calendars. Wolfman Books. Oakland, CA.
- VisibiliT: Support Trans Women Migrants. Era Art Bar. Oakland, CA.
- En Este Momento. Alchemy Collective. Berkeley, CA.
- Immigration is a Human Right. Station 40. San Francisco, CA.
- Cumbiaton. Galeria de la Raza. San Francisco, CA.
- Queer Ancestors Project. Strut!, San Francisco, CA.
2018 - The Storyteller of the Futures Says “Welcome!”. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific
FilmArchive. Berkeley, CA.
- PAVE!!! A Group Show of Queer, Trans, and POC Artists and Skateboarders. New
Image, Los Angeles, CA.
- AS BRIGHT AS YELLOW. Deli Gallery, New York, NY.
- The Multivrs is Illuminated. ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
- From Among the Stars: 18th Annual Night of Cultural Resistance. UC Berkeley
Multicultural Center. Oakland, CA.
- First of All... Students of Color Coalition 7th Annual Exhibition. Isabelle Percy West
Gallery, Oakland, CA.
- Ode to the Human Worker. Group exhibition curated by Katie Johnson. Isabelle Percy West Gallery, Oakland, CA.
- Love Show: A Valentine Exhibition. Group exhibition of printwork curated by
Julianne Villegas. Blatner Print Studio, Oakland, CA.
2017 - Rolling Counterpoint Installation, lead artist Taro Hattori. Community Art Project with featured artists. San Francisco, CA.
- Indi●Visible●Lines. Individualized group exhibition, curated by Taro Hattori. College
Avenue Galleries, Oakland, CA.
- Fine Arts Spring Junior Review, Oliver Art Center, California College of the Arts,
Oakland, CA.
2016 - Textales, Narrative Stitches Exhibition at College Avenues Galleries. California
College of the Arts, Oakland, CA.
- RECLAIM: Students of Color Coalition Group Exhibition. Isabella Percy West
Gallery, Oakland, CA.
- Mind Control Art Fair with Nook Gallery. Y2K Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
- Deconstruct the Gaze, curated by Malaya Tuyay. Blattner Print Studios, California
College of the Arts, Oakland, CA.
- Show #1, curated by Nook Gallery in Oakland, CA.
- Our Gallery is Your Living Room, A Community Art Residency. College Avenue
Galleries, Oakland, CA.
2015 - Revisions: 5th Annual Students of Color Coalition Exhibition. College Avenue
Galleries, Oakland, CA.
2014 - First Year Honors Program at California College of the Arts. College Avenue
Galleries, Oakland, CA.
- Crossroads: 4th Annual Students of Color Coalition Exhibition. College Avenue
Galleries, Oakland, CA.
RESIDENCIES
Womens Studio Workshop (March-April 2022) Studio Workspace Residency, Kingston, NY.
The Studio Workspace Residency is an opportunity for artists to create new work and fully immerse themselves in WSW’s supportive environment. WSW invites applications from artists at any stage of their careers. This residency gives artists the gift of time, an uninterrupted period to live and work away from the stresses of daily life. Artists may choose to work in any one or more of our studios: intaglio, letterpress, papermaking, screenprinting, darkroom photography, or ceramics.
2727 California Street (2021, accepted and completed), July 2021-Mid November 2021, Berkeley, CA.
2727 California Street is an interdisciplinary space, open to a broad range of projects that engage the public. Artists are asked to consider how their practice, interests, and proposed project might connect to our location and community in terms of history, natural surroundings, and social context. They aim to support projects that are vital, playful, responsible, and wonderful.
Lazuli Residency (2020, delayed due to COVID with no clear resuming date) - Recipient of Equity Scholarship Corinth, Vermont.
Lazuli Residency takes place on 125 acres of Vermont field and forest, created for artists, musicians, clothiers, writers, carpenters, seamstress and gardeners to spend 2 weeks - 1 month focusing on their art practice during the summer months. Their facilities include a wood shop, ceramics shed, fiber barn and shared indoor and outdoor studio spaces.
American Institute of Thoughts and Feelings (2020, delayed due to COVID with no clear resuming date) - Recipient of Diversity Scholarship, Tucson, Arizona.
The American Institute of Thoughts and Feelings is an artist-run experimental project space that seeks to examine/reflect upon human sentiment through research, inquiry, and community engagement. AITF aims to provide an accessible platform for contemporary art to residents of Tucson and the Sonoran Desert region. The institute consists of a wide gallery and sculpture garden that is of free use to visiting artists.
In Cahoots Residency (2019, declined due to lack of funds), Petaluma, CA.
In Cahoots Residency provides housing and studio space to both emerging and professional artists in a variety of mediums, with a focus on artists books, letterpress, printmaking, writing, and collaboration. The residency hosts from three to five artists at a time in 1-week, 2-week or 4-weeksessions.
KALA Art Institute, Printmaking Artist-in-Residence (Summer of 2018), Berkeley, California. KALA Art Institute provides 3-month long residencies for recent graduates with future promise within printmaking, providing access to intaglio, lithography, screenprinting, book arts, and letterpress equipment.
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2020 - Common Field Convening Presenter. April 2020, part of a presentation titled Care
and Tenderness in Cooperative Cultural Work.
2019 - CTRL+SHFT Curatorial Award. October -September, juried by CTRL+SHFT
Collective.
2017 - Yozo Hamaguchi Printmaking Scholarship juried by Jikae Hara, Jaime Knight, and
invited juror Renee Bott.
- Center for Art and Public Life Micro-Grant, funding Flint to Fruitvale Community
Art Project. Hosted by Carmen Flores Community Center.
2015 - WorldStudio AIGA Scholarships. San Francisco based chapter.
CURATION AND ORGANIZING EXPERIENCE
2020 - It’s A Moment: A Community Exchange. In Collaboration with Ryanaustin Dennis
and McEvoyFoundation for the Arts. ProArts Gallery, Oakland, CA.
2019 - Bay Area Girls Rock Camp Fundraiser. E.M. Wolfman Books. Oakland, CA.
- Mariposa Collective Gathering. E.M Wolfman Books. Oakland, CA.
- Cartero Esperanza. E.M. Wolfman Books. Oakland, CA.
- Supermarket Soapbox Reading. E.M Wolfman Books. Oakland, CA
2018 - Call in and Letter Writing for Cyntoia Brown. E.M. Wolfman Books, Oakland, CA.
- E.M. Wolfman Pop-Up x A Recounting. Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
- First of All... SCC’s 7th Annual Exhibition. Curation for Students of Color Coalition.
- Black Panther Viewing at Jack London Theatre. Organizing on behalf of Students of
Color Coalition.
2017 - Organizing of Students of Color Coalition Open Mic at A2 cafe.
- Pop-Up Cultural Center.
- Oakland Spring Craft Fair, co-curated with Michaela Realiza.
- Afro-Comic Con Oakland. Organizing on behalf of Students of Color Coalition.
2016 - Student support for CCA Adjunct Unionization, co-organizing with Jessica
Lawless of SEIU.
- RECLAIM: SCC’s 6th Annual Exhibition. Co-Curation with Courtney Chung and
Nicole Whitner for Students of Color Coalition. Series of events hosted during this
exhibition as follows: Native Hawaiian Entrance Ceremony lead by Courtney Chung
and Fonda Yoshimoto, Lecture with Faith Adiele, Organize This! workshop lead by J
Jessica Lawless, Jayonce: Reading Beyonce and Jay-Z’s Charts lead by Jaliessa
Sipress, Poetry Reading with Tongo Eisen Martin, Musical Performance by Zack Endoso, Adjuncts Unite! event lead by Jessica Lawless, KnowYour Rights Workshop
lead by Aaron Gach, History of CCA Martinez Murals lead by Eduardo Pineda.
Annual Dish Story. Communal potluck and storytelling event for Students of Color Coalition Agency Walk Exercise. Co-lead with Courtney Chung for Students of Color Coalition. Cultural Appropriation Open Forum. Open forum discussion open to CCA Community, co-organized with Courtney Chung.
2015 - Revision: 5th Annual SCC Exhibition. Co-Curation with Grace Chen for Students of
Color Coalition.
- Problematic Fave Workshop. Discussion within Students of Color Coalition.
- Bake Sale funding for Students of Color Coalition.
- Annual Dish Story. Communal potluck and storytelling event for Students of Color
Coalition.
PUBLICATIONS
2019 - Mi Casita Press. Journal. 6.5 x 8 in. journal with original design.
- E.M. Wolfman Books. Monthly Calendars. Risograph monthly prints.
2018 - E.M. Wolfman Books. E.M Wolfman Quarterly Magazine, Issue. 1.
- Sailor Gonzales. No Rompas Mas, Mi Pobre Corazon. Los Angeles based zine.
2015 - Humble Pie. Humble Pie Volume 11. Publication of CCA Artists.