A true ambassador of the arts, Juan Manuel Perez, moved to Santa Maria in the mid-1980's with his family to work the strawberry fields. He attended Allan Hancock College, becoming a star in the art department, and then transferred to the San Francisco Art Insitute, well known for its emphasis in conceptual art. Juan Manuel has exhibited in Mexico, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. In 2005-2006 he was the curator and exhibiting artist for the Museo Lazaro Cardenaz, in Mexico, which brought together 30 artists from the United States and Mexico. He curates exhibits in Guadalupe for local and national artists at the Masonic Center. He has volunteered at Mental Health in Santa Maria, facilitating art therapy. Both Juan Manuel Perez and John Hood are not limited to art-making, but truly serve the arts community at large as ambassadors, artists of inspiration.
Juan Manuel Perez derives his inspiration from the inner workings of nature. He is fascinated by the visual complexities and sensations of nature's growth cycles, and refers to nature with a certain amount of reverie. Perez sees the soil, even contemplating molecular structures, as a metaphor for living. He is interested in viewers holding onto the ambiguity and unanswered questions in his work.
Juan Manuel Perez derives his inspiration from the inner workings of nature. He is fascinated by the visual complexities and sensations of nature's growth cycles, and refers to nature with a certain amount of reverie. Perez sees the soil, even contemplating molecular structures, as a metaphor for living. He is interested in viewers holding onto the ambiguity and unanswered questions in his work.
