{"id":312,"date":"2022-01-11T10:40:45","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T15:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/artnow\/?page_id=312"},"modified":"2022-11-06T21:39:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T02:39:07","slug":"luis-valdez","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/artnow\/luis-valdez\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Valdez"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo of Luis Valdez from San Jose State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Biography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luis Valdez, award-winning Latinx playwright and director, is considered the father of Latinx theatre. He was born in Delano, California to migrant farmworker parents. His family lived around Northern California before settling down in San Jose. He attended San Jose State University where he originally majored in Mathematics and Physics before switching to English and graduated in 1964. After college, Valdez started to work with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the National Farm Workers Association where he would write plays that highlighted farmworkers’ struggle. In 1965, Valdez created El Teatro Campesino (The Farmworkers Theater) which stands as the longest running Chicano theater in the United States. His plays include Zoot Suit, Valley of the Heart, Mummified Deer, I Don\u2019t Have to Show You No Stinking Badges, <\/em>and Los Vendidos<\/em>. Zoot Suit stands as the first Chicano play to be produced on Broadway. Valdez is also a theater and film director. He directed all the world premieres of his plays, as well as the film adaptation of Zoot Suit <\/em>stands as the first Chicano play to be produced on Broadway. Valdez has received honorary doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, the University of South Florida, Cal Arts, the University of Santa Clara, and San Jose State University. He has received the National Medal of Arts, the Peabody Award, the Aguila Azteca award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe in recognition for his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career Highlight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, Luis Valdez won the 2015 National Medal of Arts and Humanities. This was awarded to him by President Obama.This award was created in 1985 and awarded every year since then except from 2016-2018. It is given by the current President to individuals who “are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website for National Medal of Arts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoot Suit<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n