Theresa Montiel
Theresa “Nacho” Montiel-O’Donnell is a second-year AICAD (Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design) teaching fellow who focuses on graphic design, digital design and digital fabrication.
Biography
Theresa “Nacho” Montiel-O’Donnell is an Arizona native and a registered Pasqua Yaqui Tribal member. She earned a BFA from Arizona State University and an MFA in Community Arts from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
As a former art director–turned–community artist, Montiel-O’Donnell’s medium is graphic design. She sees the ability of greater permeation for organizations and communities through orchestrated advertising and marketing efforts. Montiel-O’Donnell views graphic design as a didactic problem-solving tool; it doesn’t simply tell the viewer something. It can also motivate viewers to do something.
She aims to change “doing” and the “normalcy” that advertising creates to be more inclusive and socially just by amplifying the missions of organizations and institutions that are redistributing power and removing barriers for oppressed peoples. Through Montiel-O’Donnell’s art, design, education, classroom organization and marketing experience, she intends her current (and future) work to focus on normalizing society’s changing values in a manner that creates accessibility and equity. She fundamentally believes that everyone has the duty to fight oppression and that her unique artistic background and abilities enable her to affect that change in a variety of environments.
Experience
Montiel-O’Donnell has more than 12 years of experience as a graphic designer, an art director and a freelance firm business owner and serves organizations from in-house teams and nonprofits to advertising agencies.
Awards & Accolades
Montiel-O’Donnell has been honored for her work numerous times.
- Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design Teaching Fellowship, 2019
- Newman Civic Engagement Award, 2017
- Lazarus Leadership Award Finalist, 2017
Contact
tmontiel@uarts.edu