UNM art history professor has been named Regents' Professor

Ray Hernández-Durán, an art history professor in UNM's Art Department in the College of Fine Arts, was recently named Regents' Professor.

Hernández-Durán has been quietly and humbly helping others reach their goals for the past 22 years. In recognition of this, the prestigious title of Regents' Professor has been conferred following a rigorous screening process.

The award is a distinguished title and lifelong honor granted to a select group of senior faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and community impact. The award comes with a three-year financial stipend to support the awardee's work.

"At first, I was shocked. I didn't believe I would be chosen," said Hernández-Durán. "This means a lot to me because this recognition is an extreme honor, especially when there are so many deserving faculty members within the college."

The review process is led by the college's Dean, Harris Smith, in collaboration with the Provost's Office.

"Dr. Ray Hernández-Durán's career demonstrates ongoing excellence in all areas and embodies the values and mission of the university," said Harris Smith, dean of the College of Fine Arts. "He has shown an extraordinary and lasting dedication to teaching and mentorship. His years of research are characterized by depth, consistency and impact, engaging with and significantly contributing to conversations both within and beyond his discipline."

Hernández-Durán is a well-respected art historian who specializes in Spanish colonial art and architecture, Chicano/Latinx art and Museum Studies. In his research, he explores how history is written, colonialism, institutional histories and practices and the political aspects of knowledge production.

"For many faculty, myself included, my research feeds my teaching, and my teaching informs my research." -- Ray Hernández-Durán

He is well known across campus and throughout national and international scholarly communities. He consistently collaborates with other UNM departments, including Latin American Studies, Chicana/Chicano Studies, Africana Studies and the Museum Studies departments, and his research colleagues span the globe.

"For many faculty, myself included, my research feeds my teaching, and my teaching informs my research," he said.

He is a prolific researcher and collaborator, having published numerous articles, book chapters and a book over the years.

Through his collaborations, he has established a reputation for excellence and as a result, he has received many invitations to lecture at other universities, present at conferences and speak at museums around the world, from Washington D.C to Mexico City, London and Munich, Germany.

Hernández-Durán mentioned that "UNM provides support, spaces and resources to do the kind of work that matters in terms of research and community engagement, which might be impossible elsewhere and today, this kind of work is more important than ever."

He helped co-found two journals; one, published by UNM's Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, is called Chamisa: A Journal of Literary Performance and Visual Arts of the Greater Southwest. Topics cover a wide range of areas, from visual arts like music, theater, art and poetry to short stories and academic articles.

One of this publication's unique features is that it invites the community to submit entries for review and publication, bringing the broader community into the conversation. Essentially, learning what's important to them and letting their voices be heard.

The second one is titled Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas. It's produced by graduate students in the Art Department and features research by national and international graduate students on the arts of the Americas.

"As art historians, we also curate exhibitions to help bring the community into our conversations about art and where it comes from and why," said Hernández-Durán.

He recently had an exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum titled Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico, which took seven years to curate.

He is passionate about teaching his graduate students and speaks about it with fatherly pride. He is a hands-on faculty adviser who guides each student through the challenges and lengthy dissertation process, ensuring they know they can turn to him with questions and for advice at any time. Many, if not all, have gone on to become well respected in the field and have collaborated with him as direct colleagues.

He is deeply committed to mentoring not only students but also junior faculty members. He regularly participates in review processes to help guide faculty toward tenure and serves on mentoring committees that work directly with junior faculty.

Along with this award, Hernández-Durán has earned several others, including two Fulbright-Hays Fellowships, a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, an Andy Warhol Foundation Fulcrum Grant and a New Mexico Humanities Council Award, among many additional grants and honors.

To learn more about Hernández-Durán, visit his faculty webpage.