Eliana Miranda - Artist & Co-Founder of Nuestra Art Collective 

Degrees:
2015 Master of Fine Arts in Painting
University of Dallas, Irving, TX

2013 Master of Arts in Painting
University of Dallas, Irving, TX

2010 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY

Artist Website:
https://elianamiranda-art.com/ 

Artist Bio:
Eliana Miranda is a visual artist and co-founder of Nuestra Art Collective. She currently lives in Dallas, TX.

In 2010, Eliana completed her BA from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. She obtained her MA in 2012 and an MFA in 2015 from the University of Dallas.

Eliana has been in numerous exhibitions including:
* Latino Americans 500 Years of History at the Idaho State University
* Contemporaneous Commentary: Voices in the Current Sociopolitical Atmosphere at the Wichita State University
* Intersections at the Texas Woman’s University
* AMOA Biennial 600: Justice• Equality• Race• Identity at the Amarillo Museum of Art.

Eliana was one of the selected artists for the virtual residency with the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, TX., and the 2022 Texas Vignette. Her work is an exploration of current human migration issues. She investigates  environmental and socio/political impact of the displacement of people. 

Artist Statement:
My work explores ecological disasters that stem from climate change and the influence on the migration of people headed towards the U.S./ Mexico border from Mexico, Central America, and South America. The narratives that I portray focus on human development and how it disproportionately affects the poorest communities of this region.

The social repercussions of being uprooted from an area known as a home are complex. Heritage, culture, survival, and spirituality play a major role in how people are connected to their land. When people migrate, connections and history get lost through assimilation after crossing borders.

When addressing these topics, I use color and line as mechanisms to highlight the connections between people, their communities and nature. I use traditional textiles to denote the history of a culture and to highlight the risk of losing it when land becomes uninhabitable. The figure is used as a way to acknowledge the ephemerality of human life. Uneasy outlines emphasize the uncertainty of a future whereas toxic-like vivid colors underline our ecological footprint.