Diana Heise

Diana Heise is a Professor of Filmmaking and Photography affiliated with the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her multidisciplinary practice combines visual art, performance, and social engagement to explore themes of colonization, environmental degradation, and cultural heritage. She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts (NYC) and a BA in Art History from Vassar College.

Her research focuses on ecological contexts and post-colonial narratives, particularly in Mauritius and Vermont. Notable grants include a Fulbright Fellowship (Mauritius) and a Performance Art Fund Grant. She has conducted residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and collaborated with organizations like ABAIM and the Le Morne Heritage Trust.

Key projects include Visions of Le Morne Inscribed (2014), which examines historical memory through UNESCO-protected sites, and Lamer Nou Fer (2016), addressing climate change's impact on lagoon ecosystems. Her Attunement Studies (2020) uses cyanotype processes to map daily solar interactions with houseplants during the pandemic.

• Scientific Awards: Fulbright Fellowship, Franklin Furnace Grant, Presidential Fellowship (AUC)
• Residencies: Vermont Studio Center, Wassaic Project, Visual Art Center of NJ
• Exhibitions: Brooklyn Museum, Venice Arsenale, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Her work bridges art and activism through projects like Seeded (2016)—a mangrove-planting performance—and Dear Representative (2017), which urged climate policy action via legislative mailings. Collaborations include producing the first book/DVD on Mauritian Sega Tipik drumming (O Ti Le La La E, Ravann).