The Kresge Foundation has announced the selection of Chicana painter, cultural activist, and gallerist Nora Chapa Mendoza as its 2024 Kresge Eminent Artist.

Awarded through the Kresge Arts in Detroit program—administered in partnership with the College for Creative Studies—the award recognizes Chapa Mendoza’s lifetime achievements, dedication to her craft, and her commitment to the Detroit community. In its 16th year, the award includes an unrestricted $100,000 prize—double the amount of previous years—the production of a short film about the 92-year-old Chapa Mendoza by Desmond Love, and the publication of a monograph about her life.

As a visual artist, founding member of the Michigan Hispanic Cultural/Art Association and the former owner of her own gallery, Chapa Mendoza is a recognized pioneer, advocate, and champion of Chicano art and Hispanic culture. Her papers, lectures, notes, sketches, exhibition catalogs, and photographs documenting Hispanic arts and culture in Detroit from 1963 through 2013 are part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art collection.

“[Chapa Mendoza’s] work conveys a rare combination of grace and perseverance in the face of the innumerable societal obstacles placed in the path of an artist with Chicano and Indigenous roots,” said Kresge president Rip Rapson. “She has inspired multiple generations with her full and powerful embrace of the overlapping causes of women, migrant workers, and civil rights.”

“I feel very honored by the life I’ve had,” said Chapa Mendoza. “I knew when I came to Detroit that it was special. I’m grateful to still do what I love every day and to represent my cultures. It’s a gift. I only do what I love,” she continued. “Every day I have to eat—I have to paint. Nothing special—just life.”

(Photo credit: Erin Kirkland for the Kresge Foundation)