Cristina González is a Chicana artist, educator, and arts administrator. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Cristina spent her formative years in the Sacramento valley. She studied art and art history at Yale (BA, 1992), and painting and drawing at the University of Washington, Seattle (MFA, 1997).
González was trained as a painter. Her studio practice explores cultural, ancestral and personal memory. Her work can be found in the collections of the Carlsbad Museum of Art, the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, the New Mexico Capitol Art Foundation, the City of Santa Fe, the State of New Mexico, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, among others.
In addition to her studio practice, González cultivates partnerships for public art and art education projects. She is a member of Mezcla, a collective of women artists and writers of color who create public projects and conversations. Together, Mezcla explores voice, audience and the intersection of individual practice with community engagement.
Among the artist grants she has received are fellowships from Skowhegan, Yale, Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program, and the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts. González was a USA Fellow nominee in 2016.
González is also known as a dynamic and dedicated teacher. She was instrumental in launching NMSA, New Mexico's first, residential, state-chartered high school for the arts. She served as the first Story Maps Program Manager for the Santa Fe Art Institute. She currently serves as the Arts Education Coordinator for Santa Fe Public Schools.