Chon Noriega

Distinguished Professor
Department: UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
cnoriega@ucla.edu
Website
Keywords: Mexico

Chon A. Noriega has been a faculty member at UCLA TFT since 1992. His work explores Chicano/Latino arts and media through their aesthetic, social and institutional histories. In conjunction with his scholarship, he has actively archived the works and papers of individual filmmakers and artists, art groups, and community-based arts institutions, as well as curated or co-curated research-based exhibitions for which ARTnews identified him as one of six curators “shaping the way art is presented around the globe.” Noriega has also been active in facilitating access for underrepresented groups working in media and the arts. He is co-founder of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP, est. 1999) and in 2013 helped establish a national undergraduate mentorship program to diversify the curatorial ranks at six comprehensive art museums located in minority-majority cities. He has made presentations to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the U.S. Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the U.S. Congressional Entertainment Caucus.

Noriega directed the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center for two decades. Under his leadership, the CSRC advanced multi-year research projects on archival preservation and access, arts and culture, economic security, educational access, immigration rights, public health, and urban poverty. He played a hands-on role in the CSRC developing the largest archival and library holdings in its field, publishing more than 32 scholarly books that have earned 63 international book awards, and organizing public programs and exhibitions reaching more than 800,000 people. The CSRC’s work has been recognized with diversity awards from the Society of American Archivists and the College Art Association. As CSRC director, Noriega established four endowed funds and has overseen the development of projects and programs in partnership with more than 150 community organizations, public institutions and universities/colleges.