Adela Goldbard

Adela Goldbard (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist-scholar and Associate Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She is also a member of Mexico’s National System of Artistic Creators. Her work focuses on radical community performances, subverting hegemonic narratives, and exploring violence/destruction as aesthetic tools for resistance. Goldbard’s research integrates experimental ethnography with multimedia practices including sculpture, video, photography, sound, textiles, pottery, woodwork, and pyrotechnics.

Recent projects include:

• A participatory film collaboration with the Chumbivilcas Quechua community in Peru’s Andes
• A pyrotechnic play with Chicago’s La Villita Mexican community (commissioned by Gallery 400, University of Illinois)
• A socially engaged project with the P’urhépecha community of Arantepacua for the XIV FEMSA Biennial

Her practice emphasizes collective creation processes and sensory ethnography, bridging traditional craft techniques with contemporary performance art. Goldbard maintains active creative residencies across Mexico, the US, and Canada.

Awards: National recognition through Mexico’s National Endowment for the Arts.

Advising & Collaboration: Works closely with marginalized communities in participatory art projects, though specific grant details aren’t documented here. Current research explores intersections between decolonial aesthetics and community empowerment.