Local Artist’s Exhibition Receives Prestigious Grant

A retrospective exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum featuring over 100 works by local artist Delilah Montoya has received a major grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art in support of the exhibition, programming, and a book.

Delilah Montoya: Reclaiming Chicano Narratives through Art and Activism will be on view at the museum January 10 - May 3, 2026. Montoya is a photographer, printmaker, and installation artist who has made significant contributions to the fields of printmaking and photography.

The Albuquerque Museum and Albuquerque Museum Foundation announced the ambitious exhibition will allow visitors to explore Montoya’s decades-long engagement with art through specialized programming, virtual opportunities, and an accompanying book. Her work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally and is included in the collections of major museums across the world. She was named an inaugural artist of the Mellon Foundation’s Latinx Artist Fellowship in 2021.

The grant of $150,000 was awarded to the Albuquerque Museum Foundation through a highly competitive international selection process.

“This impressive award shines a national spotlight on the life’s work of a local visionary artist with deep ties to our community,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “We’re fortunate to have a museum that amplifies and celebrates diverse voices, especially those from local artists.”

This exhibition is the first solo, in-depth exploration of Montoya’s artwork, which reflects the complex ethnic, racial, religious, and socio-economic heritage of New Mexico. Her heritage and experiences have profoundly influenced her artistic expression. Montoya poses questions about identity, power, land, borders, gender, community, and family, which she explores through her art practice.

“By bringing together ten major series of Montoya’s work, we will chart her story as an artist who has cultivated decades of collaboration and activism,” Exhibition Curator Dr. Josie Lopez said. “Her primary subject is the human condition through time and territory as expressed through the lens of being a mestiza, a Chicana, someone who engages with her identity and a connection to place rooted in colonialism and the intersections of Indigenous and Hispanic encounters.”

“This grant is a testament to the power of collaboration between the Albuquerque Museum Foundation and the Museum staff,” said President/CEO of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation John Martinez. “We are proud to support the Museum’s efforts by providing superior grant-writing expertise and support. This allows the Museum to have the funding for world-class exhibitions like Delilah Montoya’s work on understanding the Chicano experience and beyond.”

Terra Foundation for American Art funding will support the artist’s honorarium, curatorial research, exhibition needs (including framing, installation, shipping, crating and loan fees), marketing, programming, and publication costs.