Visual Arts

Mr. Alvaro Asturias, a native of Antigua, Guatemala of Central America, immigrated to the United States in 1976. He obtained a B.F.A. from the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in 1983 and has been a permanent resident of the United States and of California since 1987.

Upon completion of his degree, Alvaro actively pursued many fellowships, community projects, commissions and opportunities to exhibit his work as an artist in Southern California. In 1991, he received the J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts Fellowship. He designed the first Guatemalan float for the Pasadena Rose Parade in 1992. His work has been seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Los Angeles Children's Museum, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Municipal Art Gallery, Hippodrome Gallery, Sunrise and several university galleries throughout Southern California.

While pursuing his career as an artist, Alvaro has been credited as an educator and assistant with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Children's Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Westside Art Center. During his eleven years with the Los Angeles Children's Museum as an artist-in-residence and core staff member, he designed installations, developed programs and workshops for children and trained interns and in-coming staff.

At present, Alvaro is continuing the Antigua Paintings, a series of works based on the people, architecture, history and legends of his native Antigua Guatemala. He is also developing bilingual children's arts programs for museums and schools. 

In the workshops, students are introduced to a variety of art techniques and crafts from around the world that include many decorative festive traditions. They learn about many different cultures through the use of stories, legends and myths. Lessons will correlate with other core curriculum areas such as history, literature, social studies and geography. In addition, emphasis is placed on broadening students' understanding of the language of visual art, its elements and principles.

Each workshop, or series of workshops, focuses on a specific culture. Projects range from mask and puppet making to paper folding, paper cutting, drawing and painting. All enhance students' manual dexterity and coordination. They also are designed to teach students specific skills that enable them to have a sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

Biography courtesy of Mr. Asturias