In conjunction with the La Raza outh Conference, Ruby Chacon will present an exhibit of her work in the WSU Shepherd Union Building Breezeway. The exhibit is open to the public and can be seen during the conference hours (7:30 am- 2:30 pm.

Ruby Chacòn’s studies have taken her to Central America, Mexico, and The Southwestern U.S. In 1998 she received her BFA in painting and drawing at the University of Utah. Since then she has taught various workshops in the Salt Lake City Area. Her work has been to London, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. Her work has been featured in OYE magazine, a Los Angeles based magazine, and AHA magazine out of New York where was acknowledged as a rising Chicana talent, a name to watch. Recently, she has been added to the book “Triumphs of Our Communities: Four Decades of Mexican American Art,” published out of Arizona State University’s Bilingual Press. Locally, She has been featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, The Deseret News, The Park Record, The Daily Herald, Red magazine, and several other publications in both English and Spanish throughout the state of Utah. She has been featured in local television and radio interviews, also in English and Spanish. She has been invited to schools, universities and other organizations to speak on behalf of her artwork and it’s impact in the community.

Her art education began much earlier than her university studies. Art did not enter her life through schools, extracurricular activities, or early intervention programs; it came from her uncle Covito. He lived in an abandoned house on the West side of town. He was an artist by nature and whenever he had money he spent it on paints. When Ruby went to his house as a child she was invited to paint freely on the walls. Indeed, he was her first art teacher. “He didn’t teach me techniques, that came much later in life, but he taught me to be free with it. He gave me the stamp that said it was okay to do what I was doing. I mean... he wasn’t the best role model. But people change your life often without knowing it, and I guess it was like that. I think, that if I hadn’t been exposed to art, early on, I would have found other ways of expressing myself. It wouldn’t be too far to say that painting and drawing protected me.” Her fascination for painting and drawing became a way of escaping and entertaining herself. When there were problems in her life, during the pre-internet and pre-play-station days, she turned to coloring. Late at night, hidden in some corner of her mother’s small house, among the noise of ranchera music, television, and several rowdy kids she found solace in drawing pictures of La Loquita from Low-Rider Magazine.

Today, she finds solace painting family members, friends, and people in general. While she does paint some landscapes the body of her work deals with the human figure. Her work is a close examination of humanity through vivid colors, thick layers of paint, and bold strokes.

Deeply affected by experiences that art brought into her life she created Mestizo Gallery. She wanted to bring Latino artwork to the local art scene. Although it only existed briefly, recently, she has now begun along with several others creating the offspring of Mestizo Gallery, Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts -- MICA, the first Art Institute of the Americas in the state of Utah.