Page 17 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2024 - Online Magazine

LOCAL LEGENDS

ever master painting or writing with this tool, but I will Fuentes has often been called upon to be an exhibition
continue to try,” Fuentes remarked. juror, and she has served on the Texas Commission on
the Arts. In 2019, she retired after teaching at Tech for
She taught secondary programs for seven years, 33 years. She now works from her Lubbock studio.
eventually making her way to New Mexico, where she
taught at a boarding school. She took that experience For Fuentes, the desire, discipline, and dedication to
with her to Albuquerque in 1977, where she found a creating art for over 40 years has been fueled by the
place that she loved to call home for many years. She belief that art is necessary. “It is not frivolous. It makes
served on the visual arts panel of the New Mexico you a problem solver. It provides training in creative
State Arts Division. It was during that time she became thinking, and that can be applied to anything.”
familiar with the 1% for art program, which allocates a
small percentage of a construction or renovation budget She describes Lubbock as a place where she has been
for the inclusion of public art. When she was recruited able to continue moving forward and find community
to the Texas Tech faculty in 1986, her insight on the with others who have embraced the arts. “Lubbock
program was just one of the many ways she was able to welcomed me, and I have enjoyed life here,” Fuentes
contribute to the growing arts community in Lubbock. shared.

“When I first got to Lubbock, it was difficult for me, on Fuentes is one of four 2024 West Texas Walk of Fame
many levels,” Fuentes explained. “However, I elected to inductees. A ceremony hosted by Civic Lubbock was
make a commitment to the community. Connie Gibbons held at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Theatre on
was director of the Fine Arts Center, and I started October 3, 2024, honoring Fuentes, Gerald Dolter, Steve
volunteering because I wanted to learn the way she Meador, and James Watkins.
was targeting an audience. She was vital to helping the (You can learn more about Fuentes at www.tinafuentes.com.)
arts grow. She really built more engagement within the
community and Texas Tech. When I saw that, I wanted
to get involved. I liked her grass-roots approach.”
The Fine Arts Center later became the Buddy Holly
Center. “The arts help the economy in any city.
Lubbock now has the Buddy Holly Hall and LHUCA.
We can see how First Friday has expanded over the
years. Theatres and galleries continue to contribute
more presentations,” she added.

During her years at Texas Tech, her work has been
featured in exhibits across the country. Her work has
been published in Art in America, Contemporary Chicano
and Chicana Art, Art Talk, and Art Space. Fuentes has
exhibited at the Charles Adams Gallery and has pieces
in permanent collections in the National Hispanic
Cultural Center and Albuquerque Museum, Texas
Tech University Public Art Collection, the Benson Latin
American Collection in Austin and the Smithsonian.

Human figures have been prominent in her paintings.
Some of her pieces emphasize feminine strength or
represent ancestry or spiritual questions. Her more
recent work has centered on the vastness of West Texas
and its landscapes. Fuentes received a National Science
Endowment in 2015 for her collaborations with Dr. Eric
Bruning on themes relating to atmospheric science and
storms.

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