Work of printmaker Delita Martin on display through March 22 at UTSA Southwest Campus

The grand opening of "Delita Martin: Her Temple of Everyday Familiars, A Retrospective" at UTSA Southwest.

FEBRUARY 5, 2024 — The UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA), in collaboration with UTSA Arts, presents “Delita Martin: Her Temple of Everyday Familiars, A Retrospective” through Friday, March 22, at the UTSA Southwest Campus.

This solo exhibition features the work of Delita Martin, an expert printmaker known for creating representations of black women in complex and luxuriant narrative portraits that draw in viewers to experience unexpected and evocative perspectives and the majesty in the often-hidden spirits of the everyday. Martin’s exhibition was one of several events that took place during DreamWeek San Antonio last month.

“This exhibition contributes to the continuing effort to expand awareness, appreciation and celebration of marginalized cultures and people, in this case, Black women. Delita Martin's artistry is a showcase of talent and a powerful testament to the depth and diversity of the African-American experience,” said Libby Rowe, director of the School of Art.

“Delita Martin's artistry is a showcase of talent and a powerful testament to the depth and diversity of the African-American experience.”

Based in Huffman, Texas, Martin received a B.F.A. in drawing from Texas Southern University and an M.F.A. in printmaking from Purdue University. Martin, a former member of the fine arts faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, opened her Black Box Press Studio in 2008, where she works full time on her art.

The exhibition is curated by Aissatou Sidimé-Blanton, a collector of contemporary visual art by African American women and vice president and former curator of the San Antonio Ethnic Arts Society (SAEAS). Founded in 1983, SAEAS is a collective of artists of color and supporters that coordinates public art exhibits and raises funds to underwrite one-on-one art training for youth in San Antonio.

This exhibition will feature a retrospective of Martin’s career, including works she produced in adolescence, recent works and an interactive installation.

The program also will feature public presentations, including:

Artist Talk and Catalogue Signing
Saturday, February 24, 2 to 4 p.m.
Santikos Building, UTSA Southwest Campus

Free Community Print Workshop: “A Plate for Mama: Printing Commemorative Plates honoring Women in Your Life”
Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santikos Building, UTSA Southwest Campus

Established in 2022 by COLFA, UTSA Arts is dedicated to community-arts education, public-facing performances and exhibitions, arts-based research and partnerships that enhance the accessibility of and the community’s needs for high-quality arts education.

Martin’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the “State of the Arts: Discovering American Art Now,” an exhibition that included 101 artists from around the United States. Her international showings include the “International Art Exhibition” at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore, India.

Programming is made possible thanks to generous support from the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, the John & Robyn Horn Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts and COLFA, in association with the Carver Community Cultural Center.

The exhibit will be on display from noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, in the Russell Hill Rogers Galleries of the Santikos Building on the UTSA Southwest Campus. The galleries will be closed during Spring Break from March 9-17.

— Nick Ward