We recently connected with Noé Montes and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Noé , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
About resilience, I would first like to say that resilience is a concept which needs to be interrogated. We think of resilience as a good quality to have, and it is, but it also presupposes that we are operating from a place of being oppressed and needing to heal from trauma. This in turn points to the histories of people of color and people from marginalized communities being harmed by the legacy of colonialism and the continuing effects of white supremacy. This is a notion that I learned about from reading the author Tommy Orange.
Having said that, what helps me to continue working toward increasing justice and equality through creative work is the experience of making the work. I am often in the world meeting people, talking to them, and making photographs. I have seen over and over that despite divisive, racist, and inhumane rhetoric in media, in the real world people want to help each other and they are trying to better themselves and their communities.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an artist based in Los Angeles working in the mediums of photography, social practice, installation, and public art. For more than 20 years, I have documented and worked with underrepresented communities to effect change through storytelling, education, and advocacy around social, economic, and environmental issues.
I was born in Modesto, California, and grew up in a family of migrant farm workers that traveled throughout California’s Central Valley following harvests of fruits and vegetables. Although often experiencing challenging conditions, we sustained ourselves with the help of an extended and constantly changing community. It is from these early personal experiences that I continues to develop culturally sensitive projects as an artist. The themes of my work are personal and community development with a strong focus on the social issues that are shaping a new American narrative.
I have extensive experience working with cultural, civic, and educational institutions and non-profit organizations. My list of commissions includes work for the Annenberg Foundation, the California Community Foundation, The Getty Foundation, L.A. Metro, Lift To Rise, The Palm Springs Art Museum, The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and the California Air Resources Board.
I was recently named a finalist for the 2025 American Aftermath Project Grant for my project “Montes Family/Yuma, Arizona” (https://theaftermathproject.org/project/montes-familyyuma-arizona) and my solo exhibition titled “Regional History” will open at the Riverside Art Museum in the fall of 2025.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
A quality that I think is important is a desire for lifelong learning and development. This is something that has helped me overcome challenges as life becomes more complex. I also appreciate that it can be an ongoing conversation that one has with oneself from the past, through the present, and into the future.
Related to this, it is helpful to understand your relationship to finances. Especially if you grew up in a low income household. The ideas and behaviors we learn and adopt in our childhood can keep us from achieving financial stability if we don’t acknowledge them, examine them, and adjust them as necessary.
Lastly, but also related to the first item above, we have opportunities to learn and grow around us every day. It is important to be open to these opportunities. This means being present.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Although this seems like an uncreative approach to dealing with anxiety, stress or feelings of being overwhelmed, I have found that analysis and planning are good soothing mechanisms. It is helpful to sit down and look at a situation rationally, think about what the next steps are, and then take the action needed to address and resolve the source of stress.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noemontes.com/
- Other: Blue Sky: @noemontes.bsky.social
Image Credits
– Portrait of Noé Montes by Amanda López
– Portfolio work by Noé Montes
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
