Rene Anchondo is a multidisciplinary artist and activist working at the intersection of social justice, community engagement, and material practice. Born in Pacoima, California, and based in Barelas, New Mexico, Anchondo uses ceramics, digital fabrication, and 3D modeling as vehicles for transformation—redefining art as a tool for equity and healing. His community-rooted practice includes the curation of public art installations, accessible workshops, and youth programs that prioritize creative agency and cultural sustainability.

As a disabled veteran, Anchondo’s work extends into therapeutic arts education through the VA’s recreational therapy program, where he teaches pottery as a mode of rehabilitation and self-expression. He is also the founder of a nonprofit arts initiative that delivers free, immersive arts education to children of the Gateway Homeless Shelter and the Barelas Community Center. Anchondo’s growing body of work in Barelas is designed to be replicable, with plans underway to establish a parallel model of community-based art activism in Pacoima.