Daniel DeSiga

(American, born 1948, died 2020)

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.