Burning The Checkerboard Road Painting

Geri Montano 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 more whole. 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 to be exhibited at the Galeria de la Raza. She is creating this exhibition to give voice to the women and bring public awareness and dialogue which are the first steps in catalyzing change.