Today we’d like to introduce you to Eliana Miranda.
Hi Eliana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I knew I wanted to be an artist from a very young age. Throughout my childhood, I always maintained a sketchbook and was liberated to express myself when I drew in it. Making marks made me feel like I had a purpose and gave me a voice. It was a subject that I always found both challenging and fulfilling and I knew I needed to figure out a way to continue to make this a big part of my life. I felt the best way to pursue this career path was through education.
Through the encouragement of my family and teachers, I was able to complete school focusing on what I loved to do. In 2010, I completed my BA from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. My time at Hamilton gave me perspective on my life and what I wanted to make artwork about. Upon completion of my degree, I decided to make work that addresses current social issues because it was an important thing for me to do. It eventually led me to apply to graduate school under the same theme. I then obtained my MA in 2012 and an MFA in 2015 from the University of Dallas with a focus on painting. Since then, I have been continuing my studio practice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were quite a few challenges. I grew up in an environment where a lot of people didn’t get an opportunity to go to college. I had to figure out how to get there myself and with very little money. Thankfully, throughout my school years, I had many art teachers who became my mentors. They challenged me creatively and made the dream of becoming an artist a reality by giving me the best advice along the way. Now, as a professional artist, I continue to face a different set of challenges. Learning how to navigate the art world along with developing my studio practice is an experience full of hard work. I’ve had to master time management so that I am able to juggle various projects at once. Along with the gratifying experiences, there is also quite a bit of rejection involved. After doing this for so long I learned how to deal with every experience, good or bad, under a positive light. I use it as a driving force to continue doing what I love.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Generally, I consider myself an art activist who makes work involving socio/political commentary on current human migration issues. I study news articles, journals, imagery, and history on human migration issues as a catalyst for my inspiration. My studio practice mostly involves drawing and painting with various materials such as ink, acrylic, and graphite.
Currently and more specifically, my work explores human migration that results from ecological disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and earthquakes. I draw inspiration from images and stories of climate migrants found in media outlets such as newspapers, journals, and internet articles as a way to memorialize the consequences of modifying the environment to fit the needs of society.
When highlighting the complexity of human climate migration, drawing and painting become key. I use color and the sketched line as mechanisms for underlining the ramifications of our ecological footprint and the transitory nature of human life. I use patterns to underscore the risk of losing culture in the process. My purpose is to continue to tell these stories through my own visual vocabulary as a way of drawing attention and sparking conversation about this dire and pressing issue.
Keeping on theme with the sociological aspect of work, my involvement with the art world extends outside of my studio practice. I am also a professor at Dallas College, Mountain View campus, where I teach art classes. Additionally, I am a resident artist at the Goldmark Cultural Center in Dallas. Goldmark is a unique facility that helps bring a Dallas art community together with artist studios, exhibitions, and community art events. At Goldmark, I am able to continue my studio practice and I also curate exhibitions for the Norman Brown Gallery where we aim to exhibit artwork by local artists. Not only am I lucky enough to continue to make the work that I do, but now I can give other artists the opportunity to exhibit and that excites me the most.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I have a website elianamiranda-art.com and an Instagram account @elianamiranda_art where people can contact me and learn about events and exhibitions that I am involved in. Currently, I’m in the “Intersections” exhibition at the Texas Woman’s University. My work was also selected for the Amarillo Museum of Art’s “Biennial-600: Justice-Equality-Race-Identity” exhibition. Both will be excellent exhibitions involving several wonderful artists and are definitely worth checking out. I was also selected for the Mexic-Arte Museums Online Artist Residency for the month of December 2021, so look out for that on their Instagram handle! Plus, make sure to check out the Goldmark Cultural Center where I am often involved with several events.
Contact Info:
- Email: emiranda4220@gmail.com
- Website: https://elianamiranda-art.com/
- Instagram: @elianamiranda_art
