Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez, MFA

Associate Professor and Visual Arts Program Head
Griffith Fine Arts Building, Room 204A
210-528-7050
dvasquez@ollusa.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise

I am a home girl from San Anto, a multimedia Xicanx artivist, educator, and business owner. My MFA is in 2D and 3D artwork with a concentration in painting, installation and art history/cultura. So, I can teach all courses the Visual Arts Program offers, from Digital Imaging to Ceramics to Contemporary Art History.

Cultura

I am considered a cultural specialist who focuses on Mexican American/Chicanx, Indigenous culture and Afro Latinx Spirituality. Spirituality plays a large role in my art and life. I come from a long line of curanderas (native healers) which is from where my belief in art, sacred mother earth and healing comes.

Muxerista

I am a Muxerista interested in a feminist economy. A feminist economy is important to give students and community a more objective perspective to the inequity of the world, especially the art world.With each facet of my life, I obtained a distinct method of learning. In addition to these experiences, my familial and personal spiritual (Indigenous and Afro Catholic) exploration has greatly influenced my educational perspective.

Teaching Philosophy

I approach education holistically and utilize a combination of research-based academic scholarship, popular culture (i.e., film, poetry, performance, music), and interdisciplinary studies (history and art history, global culture, and ethics). I teach from practices rooted in traditional indigenous culture that allows for a variety of processes, making learning more accessible to all students. I share life-lessons not only as a retention method, but to better explain my process of learning and teaching. I also believe students must come to their own conclusions about art, culture, and tradition, but to come to this conclusion they must first understand their own culture and be exposed to cultures other than their own. Exposure to global societies emphasizes a course of learning which in itself becomes a pedagogical tool to raise creativity.

Outside Interests

Working on children’s and coming of age graphic novels that focus on bullying and lesbiana and trans people of color. Also zines that concentrate of intimate partner violence and its effect on children in the home that witness this behavior. I enjoy working on my program. I mean it’s all part of the creative process. Going to the movies and listening to new music with my compañera, relaxing with my five cats, and knitting/crocheting is awesome. Yes, I am the cat lady and yes, cats really are healing, especially the black ones.