by Stacey Ford Osborne

Juan Sandoval, owner of one of the most extensive private art collections in the Southwest, is a reference librarian at the University o fTexas at El Paso. It's oddly appropriate that he would be a reference librarian-his job requires him to know something about everything, and the eclectic jumble of information inside his head becomes a visual image in the form of a collection spanning more than three decades and containing every type of artwork imaginable-more than 1000 pieces in all. But what intrigues people about Juan Sandoval is that he's not your typical art collector. He's not rich, living in his apartment in Sunset Heights solely on his UTEP salary. He's a bachelor with no family in El Paso. He doesn't have a car, and he gets around either by bicycle or walking or by friends taking him here or there. Because his pockets don't run very deep, he must buy only what he can afford. His financial limitations really have become his most positive asset-he must look for work of unknown artists, young artists who are just beginning to rattle the cages of the art world. Thus, Sandoval's purchases are "speculative" or "impulse" buys. Paintings he can afford. Paintings by painters he thinks may become significant. Paintings by painters who may only have one or two excellent paintings in them. But most importantly, paintings he likes. "I don't buy," he says, "as a financial investment. I'm going to give my collection anyway... to an institution that will use it properly as an educational process. I've even collected some pieces with this in mind, choosing paintings that I think children will enjoy. I think a collector should buy only those paintings he likes. Or oftentimes what he has the opportunity to buy. As collectors, I think, we have a responsibility to share our work just like an artist shares his work. I want to leave a legacy that others can enjoy. "Sandoval was born to a family of what eventually grew to include eleven children (eight older sisters and two younger brothers) in Monte Vista,Colorado. He had a hard life from the beginning. His mother died when he was six, his father was very old, and he was passed from place to place, living with one sister for some years, then on to another, living in California and even in Boystown in Nebraska. He finally landed with his sister Falima in Denver, Colorado. In his early years, growing up in Southern Colorado, the descendant of a hodge-podge of races and cultures, he spoke the Spanish of his family-the Spanish of the 16th century. He remembers eing punished in the first grade for not speaking English. As time passed, self-conscious of his speech, he developed a stammer which affected him throughout high school. His speech impediment invoked merciless taunting from classmates and caused him immeasurable grief. The subtle and not-so-subtle oppression he suffered for his speech Made him determined to overcome his impediment. He turned to books. He liked To climb a tree and sit there above the rest of the world, reciting poems And speeches. He worked on his speech patterns until he perfected them. His tree-bound readings paid off. When he was a freshman at Adams State College, a professor heard him talking to a classmate. Impressed, the teacher enlisted him to sing in the choir at Alamosa State College because his speaking voice was so mellifluous. This was an important milestone for Sandoval, and he repeats the story often. Today he is proud of his articulation and eloquence. His freshman year in college was also when he purchased his first piece of artwork when he was a freshman in college. He had a friend named Leona Wellington (who now designs hanging lamps in Costa Rica) who was an artist, and he purchased some of her work for $15. Since he began collecting more than 25 years ago, the collection has grown to such an extent that, says Sandoval, "It's developed a life of its own. I'm just a curator!" The collection grew from there, and now includes an eclectic combination of modern and classic, print and lithograph, sculpture and pottery. Although the collections includes pieces from such far-away lands as Poland and Russia, its essence is Latino with an emphasis on Chicano and Mexican art. More often than not, the artists Sandoval chooses as his pet projects end up becoming quite successful. There are dozens of examples of artists who rose from relative obscurity to become famous artists in certain circles, and Sandoval has a piece of their work in his collection, a piece he bought when the artist was just starting out.Chicano artist Mauricio Olague, for instance, has said that Sandoval's support for his work gave him confidence in continuing. Sandoval also was one of the first collectors in El Paso to purchase work by fronterizos Francisco Delgado and Mauricio Mora, both young artists with bright futures in front of them. Sandoval's collection is now becoming celebrated. Besides the 40 pieces hereat the BRIDGE, there are 30 pieces on display at the Undergraduate
Learning Center at UTEP, four at the El Paso Museum of Art, and two more at the Museum of Women in Dallas. He tries not to be too proud of his collection, concentrating more upon the relationships he builds with the artists. But he can't help but enjoy the fame his collection attracts. He speaks willingly of the fact that his apartment, with many of his pieces displayed upon the walls, was featured on programs shown on Univision and Telemundo, and he was recently invited to to listen to a presentation of a paper about him and his collection. The paper, "Juan Sandoval: A Passion for Collecting," was written by Miguel Juarez and presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture Association, American Culture Association inAlbuquerque. Stacey Ford Osborne is host of KTEP's "State of the Arts."