Arturo Urista, the middle child of five, grew up in City Terrace in East Los Angeles. Both parents never completed their primary education but ensured that all their kids did. In 1980 he worked for Ralph M. Parson's drawing pipeline for five years. He worked for two summers for the Vincent Price Gallery, where he unpacked, documented, and conserved Mr. Price's donated pieces. In 1986, he walked two blocks from his house and met Sister Karen Boccalero, the director of Self Help Graphics. He offered his services in bulk mailings and curating exhibitions for Galeria Otra Vez from 1987 to 1994. In addition, during his residency, he produced numerous silkscreen prints, published four Dia De Los Muertos publications, and one Zine, 'A Chicano Experience,' Director's Choice. In 1988, he worked as a community coordinator for SPARC's Neighborhood Pride under the leadership of Judith Baca. He earned a M.A. in Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1995 with the publication of his thesis, The Chicano Artworld: A Study of two art centers.

ARTURO URISTA