Onyx Montes is a pay transparency advocate, social sculptor, and cowboy boot-making apprentice. She moved from Mexico to the U.S. at 17 by herself and studied art history at the University of Washington, becoming the first in her family to graduate college. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois Chicago. Recent projects include teaching Critical Thinking & Writing for Illinois Humanities, designing distance-learning programs for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and co-writing "Creativity is Boundless," an advocacy guide to make fellowships and residencies accessible for immigrant artists.