Santa Barraza is a contemporary Chicana/Tejana artist and founder of Barraza Fine Art LLC, a gallery and studio situated in her hometown of Kingsville, Texas. She earned a bachelor of fine arts in 1975 and a master of fine arts in 1982 from the University of Texas at Austin. With thirty-four years of teaching experience in higher education, Barraza retired from Texas A&M University–Kingsville in 2020. She formerly taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Penn State University at University Park, and La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as study abroad programs in Austria, Spain, and Mexico. Her artwork has been widely exhibited in the United States, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Argentina, and France. Among the many awards Barraza has received are a Recognition Award for Contribution in the Arts from National Chicanos in Higher Education, a Professional Achievement Award from the Women of Color Association, a Sueños Cultura y Vida recipient award from LULAC Corpus Christi, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mexic-Arte Museum of Austin.
2025 Festival Session