Cary Cordova

Cary Cordova is an Associate Professor in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of The Heart of the Mission: Latino Art and Politics in San Francisco. Growing up in San Francisco schooled her in the everyday art and politics of the city. Later witnessing rapid gentrification and dramatic social change, she wrote The Heart of the Mission to document the rich history of a Latino arts renaissance in the city. Drawing on expansive oral histories and archival research, this book traces the experiences of Latino and Latina artists in San Francisco from the 1940s through the 1990s.

Cordova’s research focuses predominantly on Latino cultural production, including art, music, and the performing arts. Her writing has appeared in academic journals, including Latino Studies and Visual Resources, and in books, such as Beyond el Barrio: Everyday Life in Latina/o America and Imperfections by Chance: Paul Feeley Retrospective, 1954-1966. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, Cordova taught at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and the University of California, Davis. She also has served as an archivist, curator, public historian, and oral historian for various public institutions, including the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. She earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.