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Rita Flores de Wallace

Bio

1937-

Rita Flores Wallace was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 1937. She went to school to become a secretary and there learned textile arts including embroidery. She studied dance in the prestigious Bellas Artes Academy in Mexico City and continued performing with their Coahuilan dance troupe for 12 years. She traveled through Mexico learning and teaching Indigenous and Mexican folk art traditions. Rita met her husband John Wallace, a Denver teacher, and they moved to Denver in the late 1970s.

Work

As a master artist, her art focused on textile arts, folk dancing, papier-mâché, doll making, weaving, paper art, magic embroidery. She began to work in schools and museums teaching Mexican folk art, dance, oral traditions, and bordado mágico (magic embroidery). Wallace was dance director for more than 15 years with Teatro Latina de Colorado, created, performed and choreographed for several other dance groups. She is best known for “La Llorona” created for choreographer Jeanette Trujillo and the Fiesta Colorado Dance Company. Her folklore studies and teaching skills were honed when she met Colorado folklorist Bea Roader. Her folklore and art skills were instrumental founding many of Denver's Dia de Los Muertos celebrations and traditions.

Examples of Rita's Work in museum collections:

Tejeadores y Ovejas (Weavers and Sheep)

Cactus Nopal

Jarron Con Flores (Picture with Flowers)

Rita's Life Quote: "La burla es la careta de la ignorancia." (To make fun of someone is the mask of ignorance.)

Exhibits

Education Activities/Artist in Residence for In Bloom: Painting Flowers in the Age of Impressionism-Denver Art Museum 2015

Return of the Corn Mothers-El Pueblo History Museum 2016-2017

Chicano Humanities Arts Council 2017

Center For Visual Arts at MSU Denver

Awards

She has received numerous awards for her work with the community.


 * Univision's “Pillar of the Community”
 * 1999 Governor's Heritage Award sponsored by Colorado Council on the Arts Master Artist Award
 * 2011-Denver Public Library Lena L. Archuleta Community Service Award
 * 2013-SCFD Rex Morgan Award for Excellence in the Arts from Denver's SCFD for contributing time, talent, and spirit to positively impact the cultural communit
 * 2014-Living Legends of Colorado Dance from Denver University
 * 2014-Centro San Juan Diego’s Las Madrinas Award
 * 2015-Xupantla Leadership Award.
 * 2008-The Return of the Corn Mothers: Inspiring Women of the Southwest
 * Rita was inducted as a Corn Mother. In indiginous southwest Pueblo cultures, a Corn Mother was the giver of life.  An initiative began to preserve stories of contemporary Corn Mothers and started with an exhibition in 2007, partly funded by a Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute, to honor current women who are instrumental in community activism and creative endeaovours in the Shouthwest United States.  It expaned in 2009 with a Colorado Endowment for the Humanities grant and again in 2016 with more inductees.   The project continued in 2019 with nearly 50 inductees and exhibits facilitatied by the Metropolitan Statue University of Denver Department of Chicana/o Studies Journey Through Our Heritage program, and the Colorado Folk Arts Council.

External Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUo5tPmhR3U

https://www.eldiario.es/cultura/rita-flores-wallace-difundiendo-colorado_1_1078290.html