An Evening with Martha Gonzalez

Martha Gonzalez

Chicana artivista (artist/activist) musician, feminist music theorist and Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies at Scripps/Claremont College

Dr. Martha Gonzalez is a Chicana artivista (artist/activist) musician, feminist music theorist and Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies at Scripps/Claremont College. Born and raised in Boyle Heights Dr. Gonzalez has received various fellowships including a Fulbright Garcia-Robles, Ford Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson, USA Fellowship as well as the MacArthur Fellowship. Her academic interests have been fueled by her own musicianship as a singer/songwriter and percussionist for Grammy Award winning band Quetzal.  

The relevance of Quetzal’s music and lyrics have been noted in a range of publications, from dissertations to scholarly books. The recording Puentes Sonoros (Sonic Bridges) was released on Smithsonian Folkways in the fall of 2020. Dr. Gonzalez, along with her partner Quetzal Flores, has been instrumental in catalyzing the transnational dialogue between Chicanx/Latinx communities in the U.S and Jarocho communities in Veracruz, Mexico and have been active in implementing the collective songwriting method in correctional facilities throughout the U.S. 

Most recently, Dr. Gonzalez’s tarima (stomp box) and zapateado dance shoes were acquired by the National Museum of American History and are on permanent display in the “One Nation Many Voices” exhibit. Her first manuscript, Chican@ Artivistas: Music, Community, and Transborder Tactics in East Los Angeles was published by the University of Texas Press in 2020 and was recently translated into Spanish language by Interpec.