Risa Puleo

Risa Puleo is a Lecturer in the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She holds Master’s degrees from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and Hunter College, and is a doctoral candidate in art history at Northwestern University. Her work bridges curatorial practice, art criticism, and education.

• Education:
  • Master’s, Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College
  • Master’s, Hunter College
  • PhD candidate, Northwestern University

Puleo’s research and curatorial focus includes contemporary art that confronts systemic social and political issues, particularly around Indigenous and Latinx identities, settler colonialism, and the intersection of art with justice systems. Her exhibitions like Walls Turned Sideways and Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists highlight these themes.

She has lectured at prestigious institutions such as Rhode Island School of Design, School of the Visual Arts (NYC), Cranbrook Academy of Art, and The University of Texas at Austin, often addressing hemispheric approaches to Indigenous art and the politics of identity in Latinx art.

Puleo has contributed writings to Art in America, Art Papers, Art 21, Hyperallergic, and other publications, establishing herself as a critical voice in contemporary art discourse.