Guess who's coming to dinner (or the last supper). Alma Leiva. February 2019. Elsewhere Museum, greensboro, NC. Video documentation of curated dinner in collaboration with Jennida Chase and Hassan Pitts. 9 min 2 secs. Inkjet prints, embroidery, and poetry on museum collection fabric; ongoing collection of stories. 264” x 138” in. Live music performance in collaboration with Joshua Marquez.
Embroidery process
Embroidery process
QR code detail.
Embroidery process
Interactive Greensboro, NC. Map image.2019.
Guess who’s coming to dinner (or the last supper) is a research-based interdisciplinary project that includes interactive, performance, and sensory elements. Inspired by Leiva’s grandmother who worked in a Florida tomato field in the 1980’s, this project is a response to the rising deportations of food industry workers in North Carolina. The project activates Elsewhere’s dining space through a tablecloth, web platform, poetry, a dinner event, and experimental sound performance. Guess Who encourages awareness about migration and labor through personal stories, pertinent statistics, and poetry that humanize this vulnerable demographic.
Through public engagement, Leiva facilitates a platform to bring this difficult conversation to the “table:” A concept she recalls in the title after Stanley Kramer’s 1967 film. Also recalling the table in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, the project includes a hand-made tablecloth that pairs traditional “women crafts,” or the embroidery using inherited thread, with QR code technology. In the center, a printed, embroidered Greensboro map that resembles a living organism offers interactivity that takes participants to relevant information. On both ends, the tablecloth presents a split North Carolina state map with a poem by Leiva (translated by Walter Krochmal), dedicated to the workers in Spanish and English. In collaboration with local immigrant organization FaithAction, Leiva expands the conversation beyond the event’s inauguration by incorporating an expanding web platform that continuously features regional migrant workers’ personal stories.
In order to encourage engagement and critical thought, the artist served dishes during her opening exhibition using locally grown produce in collaboration with local artist Jennida Chase and videographer Hassan Pitts. The resulting food stains on the tablecloth become a growing archive of use. To add another layer, a responsive live experimental sound performance by composer Joshua Marquez played throughout the project’s inauguration. As a take-away memento, the artist handed custom printed napkins to the public.
Residencies
2019
Ragdale Art Residency, Lake Forest, IL
Southern Constellations residency at Elsewhere, Greensboro, NC
2018
The Millay Colony, Austerlitz, NY
The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2015
Yaddo Artist in Residency Program, Saratoga Springs, NY
2014
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Byrdcliffe Artist in Residence Program, Woodstock, NY
2013
The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH
2012
The Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL (with master artist Pepón Osorio)
2011
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson VT
Arteles, Artist in residence, Haukijarvi, Finland
Awards / Publications/ Interviews
2022
Visual Disobedience: Art and Decoloniality in Central America, Kency Cornejo. Duke University Press (Book publication)
DiscrimiNaciones, Fundación Heinrich Böll Centroamérica (Book publication)
2021
The Art of Protest: Political Art and Activism. Gelstaten. 2021
Foundation for Contemporary Arts emergency Grant
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Bridge fund
Green Space Initiative Grant
2020
Interview with Davidson College for "Digital Art Exhibitions" at The E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center, NC
Miami Artist Support Grant
Joan Mitchell Foundation recipient fund
Locust Projects Miami Artist Relief Fund
Artist Relief
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant
Oolite Arts Relief Fund
2019
Joan Mitchell Foundation emergency grant
US Central Americans in Art and Visual Culture, Kency Cornejo, Oxford Encyclopedia on Latino Studies. Feb. 2019
2018 Wynn Newhouse Award recipient
2019 Ragdale in Schools fellowship recipient
2018
Cartografías Paranoicas. Espacio y violencia en la producción cultural hondureña reciente. Laura Chinchilla. Centroamericana. ©2018
"Art to Deglamorize the War on Drugs" Valeria Posada Villada, pandemic Magazine, April 9, 2018
2018 Displaced Artist Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center
2017
The “art of witness” in US Central American cultural production: An analysis of William Archila’s The Art of Exile and Alma Leiva’s
Celdas. Marisel Moreno. Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2017
"Celdas: Alma Leiva", World Photography Organisation, interview.
" If you're interested in the art of here and now, you need to see this show ", Anne Tschida, Special to the Miami Herald, Special,
July 6th, 2017
South Florida Cultural Consortium Exhibition, Catalogue Publication, 2017
2016
Mónica Kupfer, Arte y autorreflexión: Décima Bienal Centroamericana, Art Nexus No. 103 (diciembre 2016-febrero 2017), págs. 72-77
Radio interview (with S.P.S. reset), Radio Progreso, Honduras. October, 10th 2016.
Miradas a la Décima Bienal, Luis Fernando Quiróz, L'Fatal 7 Revista de Arte Contemporáneo. Pg 19-20. 2016
"Arte visual narra historias de todas las vidas", Ana Beatriz Fernández Gonzáles, Semanario Universidad, print edition,
September 7 2016. Costa Rica.
Honduras en la bienal Centroamericana con 17 Artistas, El Heraldo, Honduras, June, 17, 2016 (Print)
Pollination Project Grant to travel to Costa Rica
2015
Beyond the Borders of My Homeland: Feminist Social Art in Alma Leiva’s “Celdas”, Marisel Moreno, 2015 National Women’s
Studies Conference
Meredith S. Moody Residency Fellowship (Yaddo)
Art and The Other Side of Narco Violence, Marisel Moreno, Huffington Post (October 20)
"Narcos”-themed Snite exhibit tells its own story, Adam Ramos, The Observer (October 8)
A must-see: ‘Counter-Archives to the Narco-City’ . Marisel Moreno, The Observer, Print edition (October 1st)
" 'Counter-Archives of the Narco City' looks at victims of drug trade's violence", Evan Gillespie, South Bend Tribune (October, 18)
Cutting-Edge art in Costa Rica: TEOR/ éTica, Roslyn Bernstein, Huffington Post, Feb, 25, 2015
"Living Archives Focus Group", Light Project, Workshop, Miami, FL
Counter-Archives to The Narco City, Essays by Tatiana Reinoza and Luis Vargas-Santiago, Catalogue Publication, 2015
Object of My Affection Review, Doris Bravo, Counter-Archives, 2015
"Financial literacy for Artists", Creative Capital workshop, Miami, FL
2014
MOCA: Re/Claiming Art, Power, Ideas and Vision in an Ethnically Plural Community, Book Publication, 2014
Third Space Reinventar lo Posible A Través de las Artes, Janet Batet, El Nuevo Herald, October 21, 2014
Race, Love, and Labor: New Work from The Center for Photography at Woodstock's Artist-in-Residency Program,
Catalogue Publication. 1st Ed. Sarah Lewis. SUNY Press. 2014. 70 Pgs.
NFA Artist/Ensemble Project Grant, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, San Antonio, TX
South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship for Visual and Media Artists, Miami, FL
Miami-Dade Artist Access Grant 2014, Miami, FL
Joan Mitchell Foundation partial scholarship to attend Atlantic Center for the Arts
Woodstock Byrdcliffe Fellowship, funded through the Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Anatomy Of a Successful Grant Application: Center for Photography at Woodstock, David Walker, Photo District News, Print (Pg 38-39,
July Issue) and Digital Publication
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Tavel Grant, MacDowell Colony, NH
"Authentic Branding", Creative Capital, Miami, FL
MasterMind 2014 Honorable Mention: Alma Leiva , Miami New Times website, Travis Cohen
Celdas; Alma Leiva, Shana Dumont Garr, Exhibition Brochure, Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2013
Leon Levy Foundation Grant, The MacDowell Colony
"15 of Our Favorite Photos from THE FENCE at Photoville", Feature Shoot, Jenna Garrett
Last Call: Every Picture Tells a Story, Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle, TX
"2013 Creative Capital Professional Development Core Program", Miami, FL
Exploring Latino Identities: Alma Leiva, Lauren Moya Ford, Glasstire, TX
"Don't Fence Me In", Photo of the day, PDN (Website)
Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Emergency Grant Award, New York, NY
"Beth Block Juried Membership Prize 2013", Houston Center For Photography, TX
Project "Bananas", featured on "On our Radar", Creative Capital website
MasterMinds : Meet Some of the City's Most Creative Geniuses. Miami New Times. Pag.15-20. February 28-March 6, 2013. Volume 27.
MasterMind Awards 2013: The Ten Finalists for Miami New Times' Arts Contest, Miami New Times (blog), Carlos Suarez De Jesus and
Hannah Sentenac, Feb 26,
Miami New Times' MasterMind awards 2013 finalist
Inside Alma Leiva’s Celdas: The Practice of Everyday Life in the most Violent Country in the World. Tatiana Reynosa. Abriendo Brecha
(Opening a Path). Art, Activism and Social Justice. The University of Texas at Austin. February 15 2013.
2012
31 Fotografinnen, Stylebook, July 2012
Through the Glass Ceiling, Into the White Cube; 31 Women in Art Photography, Time magazine's Lightbox, July 25th
"31 Women in Art Photography 2012", Newsweek magazine's (website)
"31 Women in Art Photography”, F-Stoppers,(website)
NYFA fellowship in the category of interdisciplinary work, New York, NY
PPAC's 3rd Annual Photography Exhibition, Book publication, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA
Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant to attend Atlantic Center for the Arts residency
Best of Award: Best Alternative Art Space-6th Street Container, Carlos Suarez De Jesus, Miami New Times (website)
Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition Catalogue, Virginia Commonwealth University
2011 Winners and Losers in the Arts, Carlos Suarez de Jesus, Miami New Times
2011
Alma Leiva: En La Celda, Janet Batet, Artpulse Magazine, winter issue (Dec. 28)
Art That Always Shines, The Spectrum, by Elva Aguilar (October 13)
La Calle 6: La Verdadera Esquina Caliente de La Pequeña Habana, El Nuevo Herald, Janet Batet (September 25)
La Violencia As The New Norm, Anne Tschida, Knight Arts (August 30)
Alma Leiva's Prison Cell at 6th Street Container Evokes Honduran Crimes Terrors, Carlos Suarez de Jesus,
Miami New Times, (August 19)
When New York Was Is Cool, Fader. Magazine Publication (May)
Resolve, The College Journal, Magazine Publication, May Issue (front Cover)
Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Travel Grant, Richmond, VA
College Art Association 2010-2011 Professional Development Fellowship in the Visual Arts, NY
2010
Memory Upgrade, Juror Juan Alonso, Catalog publication, Seattle, WA
CoCA Annual 2010 "Memory Upgrade" Honorable Mention, Seattle, WA
Vermont Studio Center Full Fellowship, Johnson, VT
Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate School Thesis/Dissertation Award, Richmond, VA
Virginia Commonwealth University Fine Arts Award, Richmond, VA
McNamara Family Creative Arts Project Grant
Purchase Award, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
Altered: Experimental Photography. Juror's Statement: Tomiko Jones, Catalogue Publication, University Of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
Digital skills blend with artistic eye, The Voyager, Newspaper, Pensacola, FL
2009
Work featured on The Washington Post website, Arlington Arts Center's 'Image/project' focuses on contemporary photos and video.
Foundation For Contemporary Arts, emergency Grant award, New York, NY
“International Photography Awards”, Honorable mention.
It is Now Following you. Oculus Photographic Group Graduate Survey Book publication.
Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award, Richmond, VA
2007
Internship (Teaching assistantship) at New World School Of The Arts, Miami, FL
Graduated with honors from The University Of Florida, New World School Of The Arts, Miami, FL
Collections
Elsewhere Museum
Smith College Museum of Art
The Center for Photography at Woodstock
University of West Florida
Lectures / Panel discussions / Workshops
2020
Virtual artist talk with UCLA class invited by Rose Simmons
Artist lecture, Nomad Interdisciplinary MFA, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, Koubek Center (Miami-Dade College), Miami, FL
2019
Artist lecture, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL
Artist presentation, Elsewhere museum, Greensboro, NC
2018
"Violence, migration and resistance: A conversation with artist Alma Leiva ", artist lecture, Centre College, Danville, KY
"Violence, Migration, Cultural Memory and Resistance in the Contemporary Cultural Production of Central American Diaspora Artists",
Round Table, Creative Time Summit, Miami, FL
Artist presentation at Taconic Hills Jr. / Sr. High School, Craryville, NY (Through the Millay Colony)
Workshop with AP ceramics and sculpture high school students, Taconic Hills Jr/Sr High School, (Schools Program, Millay Colony),
Craryville, NY
2017
Studio visits with Visual Arts graduate students, Stony Brook University, NY
"Race, Love and Labor", Panel discussion, Paul Zuccaire Gallery, Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University, NY
Artist Lecture, Paul Zuccaire Gallery, Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University, NY
2016
"Contemporary Art and the Central American Diaspora", Latino Art Now! Conference (Panel discussion)
Centre College, KY (Skype lecture invited by Professor Laura Chinchilla)
2015
Snite Museum of Art, Counter-Archives to the Narco-City (Lecture)
Workshop with after school program students, South Bend, IN
Southern Illinois University, department of Cinema and Photography (Lecture)
Southern Illinois University (Panel discussion)
2014
Presentation with after school program students , Raleigh, NC
University of Tampa, FL (Skype lecture invited by Professor Ya’ LaFord)
Virginia Commonwealth University (Skype lecture invited by Professor Bob Paris)
2011
Virginia Commonwealth University, lecture with Art and Politics class (invited by Professor Bob Paris)