Alice Dickerson Montemayor
August 2, 1902–May 13, 1989
Alice Dickerson Montemayor was a feminist, activist, wife, mother, and artist—and she was always busy. Born in Laredo in 1902, Montemayor’s plan to become a lawyer changed after her father’s early death. She attended business school, married, and had two sons, then took a job as a social worker. She faced racism and sexism in her profession, at one point working outdoors under a tree when she was denied an office.
Such experiences spurred Montemayor’s activism. In 1936, she joined the League of United Latin American Citizens, eventually serving as second national vice president general. Writing in the organization’s newsletter, she condemned sexism, even within LULAC, and encouraged women to vote and work outside the home. She herself held a series of demanding jobs, including dress shop owner, department store manager, and school registrar.
After retiring, Montemayor discovered yet another career. One Mother’s Day, her son gave her a paint set—but nothing to paint on. "I found an old bit of tin," she said, "put a background color on it, and began." Her lively, colorful scenes of family life and nature were admired by critics. In her art as in her life, Montemayor simply refused to acknowledge limits: figures in her paintings often ignored formal boundaries and extended onto the frames of her work. When she died in 1989, she was a nationally celebrated folk artist.
For More about Alice Dickerson Montemayor
The Alice Dickerson Montemayor collection at UT Austin’s Benson Latin American Library is a repository of biographical materials, color slides of Montemayor and her artworks, and a ninety-minute taped interview conducted by André Guerrero in 1986.
Three of Montemayor’s paintings, reproduced in the children’s book Cuentos Para Atesorar (Stories to Treasure), can be viewed online.
Selected Bibliography
Jordan, Sandra. "Alice Dickerson Montemayor." In Folk Art in Texas, ed. Francis Edward Abernethy. Texas Folklore Society. University of North Texas Press, 1985.
Orozco, Cynthia. "Alice Dickerson Montemayor's Feminist Challenge to LULAC in the 1930s." Intercultural Developmental Research Association: IDRA Newsletter, February 1996.
Orozco, Cynthia. "Montemayor, Alice Dickerson." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed January 20, 2022.
Spanish Translation
Download the Spanish translation of this Texas Originals script.
Portrait of Alice Dickerson Montemayor.