Eric J. García: Since 1776...
on view August 1, 2026—Summer 2027
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Eric J. García, Since 1776... (preparatory sketch), 2026, acrylic and oil-based acrylic paint
Eric J. García and his collaborators prepare to work on Since 1776....
Albuquerque Museum’s Visiting Artist program is generously funded by the Frederick Hammersley Fund for the Arts at the Albuquerque Community Foundation.
The tragic Greek myth of Prometheus is the story of a Titan who was punished for sharing the flame of knowledge with humanity. On the 250th anniversary of this country, we see this myth playing out before us as governmental powers strike down upon universities, museums, and other cultural institutions through targeted funding cuts, civil rights investigations, and the rewriting of federal regulations. This mural depicts another famous torchbearer, our Lady Liberty, as she is bound and tortured while attempting to protect the flame of enlightenment from being extinguished.
Installed with the assistance of Aaron Richardson, Albuquerque Museum teaching artists Jade Cruz and Shelly Korte, and youth apprentices Alyssa Johnson and Genesis Mullins from Working Classroom (Barelas)
About the Artist
Combining graphic clarity with an examination of past injustices, Eric J. García uses drawing, printmaking, murals, and multimedia projects to prevent historical amnesia and cultural erasure by reexamining forgotten stories in an accessible, visually striking style.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Eric J. García completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Chicano Studies from the University of New Mexico and earned an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a member of the Veteran Art Movement and the printmaking collectives Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative and Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. In addition, García is a dedicated teaching artist and, in fall 2025, was appointed Assistant Professor of Painting & Drawing at the University of New Mexico. He has exhibited nationally and his work can be found in the collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Library of Congress.
