Alfred Quiroz

Opportunity Target
Acrylic on Canvas
60" X 48"

The work titled Opportunity Target by Alfred J. Quiroz was created as a
response to the current immigration issues, especially the anti-Hispanic
hysteria in Arizona. The artist has painted himself as a target of
discrimination in relation to his Mexican-American heritage. Although the
artist is a second-generation Arizonan, he stills feel the pressure of being
considered a "minority." The usage of color and black and white concentric
circles making the target is indicative of the artist's reality and the media
reality hype in black and white about the "Border." The nopales in the
background (prickly pear cactus) refers to his roots in the Southwest. The
title is the reversal of the term "Target of Opportunity," which refers to the
practice by universities of hiring certain individuals without utilizing a
search committee.

navigation