Texas Tech Professor Wins International Latino Book Award

Constance Cortez, an associate professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, received the top prize in the arts books category at the 2011 International Latino Book Awards. She was honored for her biography of Carmen Lomas Garza,  a Chicana artist with ties to Texas.

Garza was born in Kingsville, Texas, and her arts reflects her experiences growing up in South Texas. The biography includes 77 pages containing color illustrations of Garza’s work.

Professor Cortez has been on the faculty at Texas Tech since 2003. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas and earned a Ph.D. in art history from the University of California at Los Angeles.