Carlos Ramirez creates a monument to the migrant worker, a tableau representing both the burden and hope of this epic journey. On an early site visit to Galleta Meadows, Ramirez was drawn to Ricardo Breceda’s sculptural vignette of grape harvesters, bringing to life the long and complex history of agricultural workers in the Borrego Valley. This deeply resonated with him as a son of a farmworker activist and long time advocate for the community of itinerant laborers. Siting an American dream adjacent to the pickers, Ramirez lays bare the often cruel distance between dream and reality for those who migrate seeking a better future. Ramirez’s keen ability to make found objects sing is on full display here as one of his signature characters manifests as large as life to confront us with difficult truths.

Carlos Ramirez is a visual artist born and raised in the Coachella Valley. As the son of migrant workers, whose mother once worked with civil rights leader Cesar Chavez during the grape boycott of the 1970s, his personal experience of struggle and victory within this resilient community informs his interest in surfacing often invisible stories.

Ramirez has exhibited at institutions such as the Oakland Museum of California Art; Crocker Museum, Sacramento; and the Palm Springs Art Museum, among many others.

His notable commissions include projects for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Coachella and Wynwood Walls in Miami. Most recently, he created the public sculpture Altar to a Dream, which was shown in Dallas as part of PBS’ American Portrait initiative. Ramirez currently lives and works in Coachella, CA.