Robert C. Buitrón

Robert C. Buitrón is a photographer, writer, and curator. His photographs have been included in many national and international solo and group exhibitions at such institutions as Seattle Art Museum, International Center of Photography, Denver Art Museum, Camerawork (London), Sala de Exposiciones del Canal Isabel II (Madrid), and Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico City). He has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a Visual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Visual Artist Fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council, as well as those from the 1984 Olympics Photographic Commission Project and Art Matters Foundation. His photographs are included in the permanent collections of Bibliothèque Nationale, Center for Creative Photography, Consejo Mexicano de Fotografía, Museo Nacional de Arte/Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Museum of Contemporary Photography, and New Orleans Museum of Art. 

Buitrón is a founding member of Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado (MARS), an artist-run art organization in Phoenix, Arizona, that was established in 1978 to advance the artwork of Chicana/o and Native American artists. As the first executive director of MARS (1982–1984), he implemented innovative programs such as the partnership formed with Sette Publishing and the Visiting Artist Residency/Print Program. He also participated through the City of Phoenix Mayor’s Office in the establishment of the Phoenix Art Commission in 1984, receiving a two-year appointment as one of the first commissioners to the Phoenix Arts Commission.

Image Credit: Photo courtesy of Martine Stuckey.