Boise State is shining a light on alum Bobby Gaytan (BA, graphic design, 2001) through a documentary collaboration between the university film program and Casita Nepantla*, the campus organization dedicated to Latino and Chicano culture. The documentary will explore the life and work of Gaytan, whose murals bring vivid color and messages of inclusivity to public spaces throughout the region.
His works include “Groovin,” a painting of a young musician and his guitar on the side of the Alaska Center in Boise, a mural at the Hispanic Cultural Center in Nampa portraying small-town life and another at the Boise Co-op’s Meridian branch promoting fair trade. Gaytan made his mark on campus with a mural for the Boise State football program and paid tribute to the late J.J. Saldaña, an influential Latino leader, activist and fellow Bronco alum with a memorial painting in downtown Boise.
Gaytan, the son of migrant farm workers, spent his youth in Texas working in the fields and finding artistic inspiration in street art and graffiti. He said his parents instilled in him his work ethic and an obligation to better his community. His art teachers at Mountain Home High School helped him realize that an art career was possible. Gaytan put himself through college, supported by an art scholarship and extracurricular jobs. He earned his degree and became a graphic illustrator for the Bureau of Reclamation in Boise, a job he still holds today. Gaytan keeps his connection to campus, speaking with classes and sharing his story. He mentors young people through a local Stay-in-School Quinceañera program and sits on the Meridian Arts Commission, where he connects aspiring artists with opportunities.
“My early years were a struggle, but it’s all I knew,” Gaytan said. “Looking back, I find power in those experiences — they’ve shaped who I am.” His story, he added, is “a part of American history, and I hold it with pride.”
A father himself, Gaytan passes the lessons he’s learned to his children. “When we finally settled in one place (Mountain Home, when Gaytan was in high school), I joined the football team and the art club. I tried out everything I could. I tell my kids to take advantage of the moment — that they can do the same,” he said.
Documentary comes to Boise State
Rulon Wood, an associate professor of film and television arts, said the Gaytan project marks a milestone for the university’s growing film program. It was the first project in the program’s first documentary production class. And it is a particularly inspiring one, Wood added.
“Bobby signs all of his work, ‘Amor (love).’ He wants to create a positive environment throughout the valley through his art and teaching.”
The project, like so many at Boise State across so many disciplines, offers hands-on experiences for students that will be valuable beyond their time on campus. Thanks to Casita Nepantla’s sponsorship, it also offers them a paycheck to film, edit, interview and hone their storytelling skills. Some students working on the production, like Katherine Torres, relate easily to Gaytan’s story, Wood added.
Film and nursing – not so different after all
Torres, who has family roots in Mexico, is majoring in nursing and minoring in film. She sees a natural connection between her two pursuits.
“I find common themes. Like empathy,” Torres said. “In film, especially documentary, you have to have some kind of compassion to look at peoples’ lives.” The film program, she added, emphasizes working with people. “You can be a director, but you also have to be part of a team. I take that skill into nursing. It’s another connection,” she said.
Torres, a first-generation college student, has done camera and audio work for the Gaytan documentary. The highlight, she said, was interviewing Gaytan’s father and sister.
“His dad speaks mostly Spanish and that’s my first language. After we wrapped filming, I kept asking questions. Bobby’s dad reminded me of my grandfather. There’s a thread between us. I see such glimpses of our shared Mexican heritage in Bobby’s work and life,” Torres said.
After she graduates, Torres plans to keep her connection to art. She dreams of telling her own life story on film. Wood has helped her explore careers that mesh film and nursing, like making training videos for hospitals.
“It’s true how many hidden opportunities exist in every field,” she said – a realization that happens to be in tune with Gaytan’s belief in seizing opportunities when they come. “I love the experiences I’ve had in the film program and how they’ve helped me find areas I had talent in that I didn’t even know.”
Wood anticipates the film crew will finish the documentary in late summer. Plans include submitting it to local and national film festivals and screening it on campus.
NOTE
*Nepantla is a Nahuatl word meaning in-between or middle. People often use the word to describe the experience of those navigating multiple cultural, social and political spaces, particularly within Chicanx and Latinx communities.
By Anna Webb