In September, UF School of Art + Art History assistant professor Lisa Iglesias headed to Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic, to serve as an artist in residence at La Escuela de Diseño, where she will remain until December.
“Conducting research in the Dominican Republic has been a priority of mine for a long time,” she said.
She has visited family in the Dominican Republic since she was a child, as her father was born there, but she said this is the first time she’s had the opportunity to maintain a studio and meet a community of artists there.
“The relationships I'm making with Dominican artists and organizations will play active roles in my studio practice and teaching methods,” she said.
At La Escuela de Diseño, Iglesias teaches a series of drawing workshops. She is also preparing to present an exhibition of her work on Nov. 16 and an artist talk in the island nation’s capital of Santo Domingo on Nov. 30.
“My work, whether conducted individually or collaboratively with my sister, Janelle Iglesias, is influenced by latinidad, transculturation and hybridity,” she said. “In specific regards to the Dominican Republic, I'm influenced by the histories and folklore of the country, and have made work integrating the resistance of the Mirabal sisters and the poetry of Tomás Hernández Franco.”
This August, she had two collaborative exhibitions showcased with her sister. One, titled RE: SISTERS, was presented at the Arizona State University Art Museum, and the other, titled HERE, HERE, was presented at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Her residency is part of the Global Fellows Program with the UF International Center. She plans to continue the fellowship into next year, with residencies at the Nelimarkka Museum in Finland and Fondazzjoni Kreattività in Malta, among others.
