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Manuel Davila
Literary Arts; Media Arts: Graphic Artist, Producer, Radio/Television Talent, Voiceover; Multi-Disciplinary: Multiple Art Forms; Performing Arts: Director, Performance Art, Spoken Word Artist, Storyteller; Teaching Artist/Instructor; Visual Arts: Architectural Illustrator, Artisan, Ceramist, Conservation/Restoration, Constructions/Collage, Craftsperson, Maker, Mixed Media Artist, Painter, Printmaker, Textiles; Plant-based colors and dyes
Manuel Davila is a 2Spirit Coahuiltecan tradition keeper Native to Yanaguana, commonly known as San Antonio, Texas. As a horticulturist and herbalist by trade, combined with their formal education in Pharmacy, they use their knowledge to educate the community on the Beneficial native flora of the area. They are currently the Cultural Arts Manager for American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions (AIT-SCM), which focuses on preservation of the culture of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation. Their work focuses on raising awareness for the legacy behind south Texas indigenous arts and foods and maintaining a decolonial approach to the history of Yanaguana/San Antonio. Manuel is also a community organizer who has worked on campaigns focused on immigration, heritage nutrition, land restoration and climate sustainability for the past ten years. They have represented San Antonio at the Celebration of Basketry and Native Food Gathering as well as at the 2017 People’s Climate March in Washington D.C. Manuel has been featured in the New York Times, San Antonio Express News, SA Current, The Washington Post, Democracy Now, The Albuquerque Journal, The Rivard Report, Edible Magazine and NBA.com for their invaluable work.
Resume (PDF)
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
My artistic vision and personal practice are to continue to uplift the decolonial histories of Yanaguana, the ancestral name of the San Antonio River and surrounding land, and the elders who have preserved our cultural practices. The slow process of collecting pigments from the Earth and river, processing them into a fine powder to reconstitute into paints, transports me to place myself in my not-so-distant relatives headspace.
My inspiration comes from the myriad of rock art sites in Texas and Coahuila that are still honored by my community as windows into our ancestor’s world and wisdom.
Many of my works incorporate symbols, colors, and themes that connect to the imagery of South Texas that was originally inspired by these important sites. Creating a practice founded in natural materials helps with my vision of land and river stewardship to create art that has limited impact on the natural world around us.
The shades of yellow in my work are ferric oxide, sienna ochre and the shades of reds are made of iron oxide ochre. I make my own inks from the gall of mesquite and oak trees to make black pigment ink for lines and details.
These are the same raw materials my ancestors used to paint the frescos that adorned the walls of the historic buildings they erected during the forced missionization period; some frescos are still visible today over 300 years later.
How do I convey messages and lessons for future generations to interpret? Rock art is a manifestation of the human impulse to communicate that transcends time or language barriers and my hope is to share that expression in contemporary spaces as well. While many study these images to only understand the past, my hope is that my work helps my community see a map of where we are going just as much as where we have been. Naletzam (Gratitude)
Culturally Specific Art Category
Select Culturally Specific Art Category:: American Indian or Alaska Native
