Dancing with the Sun is a celebration of the life and artwork of esteemed Chicano artist Manuel Hernandez Trujillo, as curated and edited by his dear friend and fellow artist Dr. Manuel N. Gomez. Trujillo's expansive body of work ranges from yarn paintings and personal watercolors to posters and wall murals. Though varied in subject, style, and color, Trujillo's work carries over-arching themes of his love for his family, the Chicano community, and struggles for social justice.
Trujillo was drawn to creating art from a young age, beginning with sketches he created of fellow field workers and orange pickers in Southern California in the 1940s. Decades later, with extensive art education, teaching experience, and personal art exploration under his belt, and his artwork collection is extensive enough to fill an entire published work.
Dancing with the Sun takes readers, history lovers, and art enthusiasts through the journey of Trujillo's life, with gorgeous photographs of his entire body of work accompanied by personal commentary, historical background, and insight from Gomez, Trujillo's trusted colleague.
"The magnificent Dancing with the Sun, featuring the extraordinary artwork of Manuel Hernandez Trujillo, is a work of love designed and edited by his friend, the UC Irvine Vice Chancellor, Emeritus Manuel N. Gomez ... I had seen some of Trujillo's poster art over the years, but simply had no idea of his remarkable body of work across genres, all of which are lovingly photographed and pictured here." - Michael A. Olivas, author of No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Children
"Dancing with the Sun is a true tribute to one of the most effective activities and graceful artists of our time." - Helena Maria Viramontes, Author of Under the Feet of Jesus and Their Dogs Came With Them and Professor of Creative Writing, Cornell University
"Manuel N. Gomez has rendered a splendid tribute to the artwork of visual artist from Santa Ana, California, Manuel Hernandez Trujillo, in this collection of art and poetry." - Maria Herrera Sobek, Editor of Santa Barraza: Artist of the Borderlands and Associate Vice Chancellor/Professor of Chicano Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara
About the Author: Dr. Manuel N. Gomez is Vice Chancellor, Emeritus at University of California, Irvine. In 2011, Gomez received the University of California Medal, the highest honor UCI awards individuals, for his educational contributions and service to the University. He works to create a more compassionate world. He writes prose and poems, and he lives in Irvine, California, with his wife, Genet. Manuel Hernandez Trujillo is a working artist. He worked at Merritt College in Oakland, California; taught mathematics in the Santa Ana School District; and taught art at University of California, Irvine. In 1998 Trujillo received the Orange County Hispanic Educational Endowment "Educator of the Year" award. He lives in Tustin, California, with his wife, Nydia.
