Narsiso Martinez: Best Used By
November 13 - December 19, 2025
Institute for the Humanities Gallery, 202 S. Thayer
Gallery Hours: M-F 9am-5pm
RELATED EVENTS
Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series:
"Field Work, Art, and Labor in America"
Thursday, November 13, 2025
5:30 - 6:30pm
Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty
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Opening Reception with Narsiso Martinez
Thursday, November 13, 2025
6:30 - 8:00pm
Institute for the Humanities, 202 S. Thayer
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Close to Home: A Conversation on the Experiences of Migrant Farmworkers
With Narsiso Martinez and Dr. Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios, moderated by Amanda Krugliak
Monday, November 10, 2025
4:00 - 5:30 pm
Institute for the Humanities, 202 S. Thayer
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Cardboard Reliquary: A Portraiture Workshop with Narsiso Martinez
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
5:00 - 7:00pm
Shapiro Library Rm #3160, 919 S. University
About the exhibition
Narsiso Martinez’s art practice, drawing upon his own experience as a farmworker, honors the people performing the essential labor required to fill produce sections and restaurant kitchens around the country through portraiture on discarded materials, such as cardboard boxes and paper grocery bags. Martinez’s exhibition Best Used By opens in the IH Gallery in November 2025, highlighting timely issues regarding worker invisibility and anonymity. As part of his project, Martinez will be researching archives related to regional agricultural history and engaging with local food service workers.
About the artist
Narsiso Martinez (b. 1977, Oaxaca, Mexico) came to the United States when he was 20 years old. He attended Evans Community Adult School and completed high school in 2006 at the age of 29. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in 2009 from Los Angeles City College. In the fall of 2012 Narsiso earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from California State University Long Beach. In the spring of 2018 he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing and painting from California State University Long Beach, and was awarded the prestigious Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture. His work has been exhibited both locally and internationally. His work is in the collections of the Hammer Museum, OCMA, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, University of Arizona Museum of Art, Long Beach Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Martinez lives and works in Long Beach, CA.
