Dean Ramos Oral History

The name of my interviewee is Dean Ramos, who lives in Oceanside, California but is originally from Chicago. He is affirmed with the community partner of Mira Costa College and is a Professor of Drawing and Painting there. In our interview, we discussed in depth about Ramos’s art, specifically one exhibit installed in 2021 at the Oceanside Museum of Art entitled “Divisions”. We also discussed his early years creating, and some moments that defined his development as an artist like attending graduate school at the University of New Mexico, where he received an MFA in Painting. We discussed some of his teaching experiences at Mira Costa College in the art department as well. This interview covers the story of how this individual became both an artist and professor of art. I discovered Dean Ramos’s portfolio through his website and the OMA website. The interview was conducted by Christina Bumann, a 4th-year History/Art History major at UCSD who is interested in the individual stories of amazing local artists who make impactful art reflecting the complexities of human experiences.