Artist Statement
My name is Mar Figueroa and I grew up drawing behind menu sheets in my family’s restaurant La Hacienda, Spanish for the ranch, an ode to my family's home in the coastal mountains of Ecuador. In La Hacienda restaurant I was immersed in an environment of Pre Hispanic traditions, Andean ballads, and immigrant culture. In between folding napkins and other tasks I developed an interest in the vivid stories that brought everyone to my mother’s cooking. The artwork in my application represents the observations I began at the restaurant over two decades ago. I want to demonstrate through my own art that my culture extends beyond our looted artifacts. My ancestors left a precious inheritance in their textile, ceramics, sculptures, music, food, rituals, and my artwork is an extension of that.
