ABQ Times

A retrospective exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum, featuring over 100 works by local artist Delilah Montoya, has been awarded a significant grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The grant supports the exhibition, programming, and an accompanying book.

The exhibition, titled "Delilah Montoya: Reclaiming Chicano Narratives through Art and Activism," will be open to the public from January 10 to May 3, 2026. Montoya is recognized as a photographer, printmaker, and installation artist with notable contributions to printmaking and photography.

Announced by the Albuquerque Museum and Albuquerque Museum Foundation, this ambitious exhibition will provide visitors with opportunities to engage with Montoya's art through specialized programming and virtual experiences. Her work has been widely exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and internationally. In 2021, she was named an inaugural artist of the Mellon Foundation’s Latinx Artist Fellowship.

The $150,000 grant was awarded to the Albuquerque Museum Foundation following a competitive international selection process.

“This impressive award shines a national spotlight on the life’s work of a local visionary artist with deep ties to our community,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We’re fortunate to have a museum that amplifies and celebrates diverse voices, especially those from local artists.”

This marks the first solo exploration of Montoya’s artwork that delves into New Mexico's complex ethnic, racial, religious, and socio-economic heritage. Her art addresses questions about identity, power, land borders, gender, community, and family.

“By bringing together ten major series of Montoya’s work we will chart her story as an artist who has cultivated decades of collaboration and activism,” Exhibition Curator Dr. Josie Lopez stated. “Her primary subject is the human condition through time and territory as expressed through the lens of being a mestiza.”

John Martinez, President/CEO of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation added: “This grant is a testament to the power of collaboration between the Albuquerque Museum Foundation and the Museum staff.” He emphasized their role in providing support for exhibitions like Montoya’s that explore understanding beyond just Chicano experiences.

Funding from Terra Foundation for American Art will cover various aspects including honorarium for the artist, curatorial research needs for framing installations among others along with marketing efforts necessary for such exhibitions.