Ruby Chacon

Chacon's identity as a "Utahana" serves as a focal point for not only her art work but her work in the community as well. Chacon speaks of the struggles of being first-generation student, and representing an identity that is so commonly misrepresented. Chacon works directly with youth in the community providing a space to heal through art and community. Much of Chacon's public murals in Utah draw questions of whether they belong in Utah as a representation of the community, but it is this same critique that displays Chacon's reason for painting: to make visible the long-term presence of Latinx people in the United States beyond the history taught in typical discourses. As a result, she opened a venue called Mestizo which would combine a coffee house along with a place for Chicanos to commune and speak of their trauma. However, in 2002 Chacon's endeavor fell short lacking a business plan. However Chacon along with her husband Terry did not stop there and founded the nonprofit Mestizo Institute for Culture and Arts (MICA). The building was separated by walls offering a coffee shop, art gallery and open space for community members to gather.

Ruby Chacon (born 1971) is an American muralist and self-proclaimed "Utahana", artist, using art as a medium to express her dual identity as both a Utah native and a Chicana.

Ruby Chacon was born in 1971 in Salt Lake City, Utah where she continued to reside for the majority of her life, dedicating her artistic career to community engagement through the arts and artivism. Chacon is an artist, a mother, a daughter, and a familiar face in the community, engaging actively in community events and in her public display of murals. Chacon works with several mediums, however she is best known for her work with murals. Chacon's work has been displayed across Utah and internationally.