Notice by Cliff Willmeng

Carlos Cortez, artist and IWW member died today, and I wanted to include the obituary up here for the people that knew him. i will always remember Carlos as a fighter and artist incredibly thoughtful and kind. ive looked up to him from the moment i met him.

in 2001 the direct action network had a conference called, "defeating the offensive of global capitalism" that brought people in from as far as toronto and san diego. carlos read a poem to a hundred of us that saturday night about a miner accident that brought tears to the eyes of those of us listening to his deliberate and encompassing voice. he was a true human in every respect and someone that gave his life , heart and mind to the struggle in an incredibly warm way.

youre missed already fellow worker.

cliff

For just a sample of his world famous art, here is a link to the indymedia
article in chicago.

Carlos A. Cortez, 81, Activist Artist and Writer

Chicago, Illinois

Carlos A. Cortez, through his labor-oriented art and writings that helped bring international attention to Mexicans and other native peoples, died on Jan. 18 at his home in Chicago. He was 81.

The cause of death was heart failure, according to his doctor Teresa Ramos M.D., present at the time of his death.

Imprisonment as a conscientious objector during World War II led to his membership in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union. Cortez's support of the IWW or ³Wobblies,² was central to the theme of many of his wood and linoleum-cut graphics, as well as editorial and poetic works. He was columnist and editor for the IWW union paper, The Industrial Worker, from the late 1950s to 2005, and the author of four books.

In 1975, Cortez joined Jose G. Gonzalez to found the first Mexican arts organization in Illinois, Movimiento Artistico Chicano, MARCH, Inc. Cortez
was also an active member of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago Mural Group, Mexican Taller del Grabado (Mexican Graphic Workshop), Casa de la Cultura Mestizarte, the Native Men's Song Circle and Charles H. Kerr Publishers. Cortez' work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Cortez is survived by the relatives of his late wife Mariana
Drogitis-Cortez: his sisters-in-law, Theodora Katsikakis and Lela Vlahos; brother-in-law Nicholas Drogitis; nieces Despina Katsikakis and Monica Meissner, grand niece Alexandra Kailing, and nephews Kosta Vlahos and George Vlahos.

Memorial services are private after Mr. Cortez's cremation in Chicago, Illinois.

Those seeking to honor his memory may make a contribution to the American Indian Center at 1630 W. Wilson Ave. or the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.