Victoria Montes, a part-time artist and full-time teacher of severely handicapped third- and fourth-grade students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, is using her shelter-at-home time to reflect on her community.
“The Coachella Valley is a rich and diverse place,” she says. “I decided to paint Facets as a tribute to the differences that we celebrate in our valley.”
The painting, which depicts a farmworker, earned Montes a $500 grant to from the nonprofit California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) to “Keep Art Alive.”
CDAC and La Quinta Arts Foundation established a $50,000 Keep Art Alive fund to award grants to Coachella Valley artists and arts organizations who create thoughtful, inspiring, and relevant works responding to the pandemic.
“I hope that my painting encourages others to engage in similar reflections and to explore different perspectives,” Montes says.
