Oral history interview with Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 7 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 46 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Rodriguez-Diaz, Angel, 1955-
label: Interviewer
content: Cordova, Cary
label: Names
content: Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas
label: Names
content: Alvarez, Candida, 1955-
label: Names
content: Anthes, John
label: Names
content: Briseño, Rolando, 1952-
label: Names
content: Cisneros, Sandra
label: Names
content: Min, Yong Soon, 1953-
label: Names
content: Molina, Antonio J. (Antonio José), 1928-
label: Names
content: Morris, Robert, 1931-2018
label: Names
content: Pace, Linda
label: Names
content: Ramos Otero, Manuel
label: Names
content: Roche-Rabell, Arnaldo, 1955-
label: Names
content: Sward, Robert, 1933-
label: Names
content: Tofino, Nitsa
topic: label: Topic
content: Painters -- Texas -- San Antonio -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Artists -- Puerto Rico -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Art -- Study and teaching -- Puerto Rico
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Artists (LGBTQ)
label: Topic
content: Gay artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics, and administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Rodriguez-Diaz, Angel, 1955-
label: Interviewer
content: Cordova, Cary
culture: label: Culture
content: Puerto Rican artists
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz (1955-2023) was a painter known for his portriats and self-portraits. Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He moved to New York City in 1978 for his MFA. After moving to San Antonio in 1995 with his partner, Rolando Briseño, his work expanded to public art projects.
label: Biographical / Historical
content: Cary Cordova (1970- ) is an art historian from Austin, Tex.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7 Sound discs (Sound recording, master (7 hr., 45 min.), digital, 2 5/8 in.)
label: Extent
content: 6 Cassettes (Sound recording, duplicate)
label: Extent
content: 94 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2004 April 23-May 7
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.rodriga04
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound discs
label: Type
content: Cassettes
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview with Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz conducted 2004 Apr. 23-May 7, by Cary Cordova, for the Archives of American Art, in San Antonio, Tex.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Rodriguez-Diaz speaks of his mother's upbringing and her untimely death from cancer; his childhood and schooling in Santurce, Puerto Rico, particularly his art experiences; his parents' conversion to Pentecostalism; the importance of travel in Puerto Rican culture; attending the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras; discovering his sexuality during adolescence; living in New York City; the city's gay scene on Christopher Street; exploring his identity as a Puerto Rican American; his jobs at mannequin factories; and his gradual ingratiation into the New York art world, mostly through Robert Morris. Rodriguez-Diaz also mentions his relationship with Rolando Briseño; the motifs in his paintings, such as mirrors and masks; witnessing the Tompkins Square Park riots of 1988; organizing a strike at his mannequin factory; contracting the HIV virus from a partner; Mexican art cinema; the cultural and historical similarities of Mexico and Puerto Rico; moving to San Antonio; choosing the models for his "Goddess" series; Anglo/Latino conflict within the San Antonio art scene; the commodification of Mexican culture in San Antonio; the spiritual importance of portraiture; the history of Puerto Rican artwork and culture, particularly native cultures; and the Smithsonian's acquisition of his painting, "The Protagonist of an Endless Story." Rodriguez-Diaz also recalls Antonio Molina, Sandra Cisneros, Arnoldo Roche-Rabell, John Anthes, Manuel Ramos Otero, Nitsa Tofino, Candida Alvarez, Soon Yong Ming, Robert Sward, Linda Pace, and others.