Artwork copyright Daniel DeSiga. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

La Cosecha (The Asparagus Pickers), 2005

Daniel DeSiga
(American, born 1948, died 2020)

Location: Yakima Valley College - Grandview, Grandview

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Daniel DeSiga used painting to document the labor of migrant farm workers and his own memories of growing up in the rich, agricultural fields of Southeastern Washington. In his own words, "My art comes from my experience of my early life as a farm worker. I remember going to the fields early in the morning before the sun rose. I loved seeing the light break on the horizon and the colors in the sky before the sun came up. It reminded me of Mexican blankets in the sky."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Yakima Valley Community College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Painter and muralist Daniel DeSiga (1948-2020) created work rooted in communicating Latinx culture in the Pacific Northwest. He was born and raised in Walla Walla, Southeastern Washington. His art often included details of rural, agricultural life. He often noted that “I am grateful for the opportunity to document not only my parents' lives but others whose labors sustained people all across the country.”
In 1972, DeSiga joined other young adults in Seattle as they peacefully occupied an abandoned school and eventually founded El Centro de la Raza, a multicultural resource center that continues to this day. One of DeSiga’s most famous murals is “Explosion of Chicano Creativity” at El Centro.
DeSiga enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Walla Walla High School in 1967 and served for two years. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, in 1975.