Laura Anderson Barbata

Laura Anderson Barbata is a Mexican transdisciplinary artist and Lecturer at MIT's Art, Culture, and Technology Program within the School of Architecture + Planning. She holds a dual residency in New York and Mexico City, focusing on socially engaged art addressing environmental and social justice through performance, textiles, and community collaboration. Previously, she served as a professor at Mexico's Escuela Nacional de Escultura La Esmeralda (2010-2015) and is a Miembro del Sistema Nacional de Creadores (FONCA, 1999-2017).

Her research integrates textile arts, procession, and ritual to create site-specific interventions like Ocean Calling (2017) and Intervention: Indigo (2015/2020). Courses taught include Performance Art Workshop and Introduction to Three-Dimensional Art Work: Textiles, Fashion, and Performative Art, emphasizing material experimentation and public engagement.

Key projects include repatriating Julia Pastrana's remains to Mexico and collaborating with the Brooklyn Jumbies on works addressing police violence and colonial histories. Barbata is on the College Art Association Board as VP for Diversity and Inclusion, and her work is held in major collections such as MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.