Beatriz Cortez, a multidisciplinary artist and professor of Chicana/o/x studies at UC Davis, has been named a 2026 Joan Mitchell Fellow.
There are 15 artists working in painting and sculpture in the new cohort, all living and working in communities across the U.S. Each fellow will receive $60,000 in direct, unrestricted funding distributed over five years alongside learning, peer engagement and network-building opportunities, according to the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
"In this time of political and socio-economic uncertainty, as we witness ongoing cuts to the federal funding that supports regional arts communities, the continuity that the fellowship’s multi-year funding structure provides directly to artists is more essential than ever," said Christa Blatchford, executive director of the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
I believe in the power of artists teaching other artists from their very diverse experiences.
— Beatriz Cortez
Cortez creates speculative monuments, geographies and vessels in the form of welded steel sculptures. Through these pieces, she explores memory, movement and migration in the Americas as a means of envisioning possible futures.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE STORIES
Beatriz Cortez Honored at ICA San Diego
Beatriz Cortez was recognized "as as an artist whose work and vision shape the cultural and creative landscape in meaningful ways," as she was awarded the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego's ICA Star Award during the museum's Future Forward Gala this past spring.
Beatriz Cortez in Show Highlighting Contemporary Latinx Artists
Artist Beatriz Cortez, professor of Chicana/o/x Studies, has work featured in "Aztlán: Tunel del Tiempo," an exhibition at the national galleries of the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes. The exhibition brings together a comprehensive installation of Latinx contemporary art from Los Angeles to Mexico City.