Selena Engelhart grew up in Berkeley CA in the socially tumultuous 60’s. Her California native father is a jazz pianist and metal percussion instrument maker. Her Mexican mother worked tirelessly for social justice and managed her father’s instrument business.
Her family home was overflowing with the creative energy of numerous visiting international musicians and artists. As a youth she studied piano and spent numerous hours drawing and painting. Her home environment made it inevitable that Selena would pursue a life in the arts. As a young woman Selena lived in Mexico City where she continued her music studies, and was inspired by the art and spirituality of the Mayan and Aztec cultures.
This sojourn, among others, inspired her to study art more formally. She enrolled at the California College of Arts and Crafts where she won a scholarship to Cooper Union in New York City. There she produced a large body of work influenced by the art of Willem De Kooning and Jean- Michel Basquiat. This was a period where she was able to explore different media and how her cultural iconography could be illuminated through her art. She was also deeply inspired by the powerful earthworks of Cuban...
