2025/26 Merit Scholarship Recipient: Graciela DeAnda

Describe the work you submitted for merits.

Sacred Lives, Stolen Identities: The Power of Belongings is an immersive, interdisciplinary installation that explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of Mexican migrant experiences in the United States. Rooted in my own familial history and cultural ties to immigration, the work engages with themes of memory, identity, and belonging. Through a blend of photography, video, and interactive media, the installation presents personal objects—photographs, religious items, keepsakes—offered by four migrants as symbols of resilience and emotional connection to their cultural roots.

Set within a black box environment, the installation includes four 7x12-inch black-and-white photographs framed in custom plywood boxes with doors viewers can open, four 32-inch screens showing interviews in Spanish with English subtitles, and four 10-inch tablets displaying close-up videos of the migrants' eyes. These layered elements create an intimate narrative space where viewers are invited to reflect on identity not as something defined by documents or appearances, but by memory, emotion, and human experience. By focusing on sacred objects and the act of storytelling, the work seeks to preserve personal histories while challenging reductive views of migrant identity. Ultimately, it offers a space of empathy, encouraging deeper understanding of the migrant journey beyond political discourse.

What made you choose to come to MCAD for your MFA?

I chose to pursue my MFA at MCAD because of its strong commitment to socially engaged art and interdisciplinary practice. I was drawn to the program’s emphasis on conceptual development, critical dialogue, and community engagement—values that align closely with my own artistic goals. As someone exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural memory, I wanted a space where I could deeply investigate these ideas through both research and material experimentation. MCAD's faculty and visiting artist network, along with the intimate, supportive studio environment, offered a unique platform to push the boundaries of my practice while remaining grounded in personal narrative. The program’s flexibility and encouragement of cross-media exploration have allowed me to integrate photography, video, and interactive elements into immersive installations that reflect the complexity of the migrant experience. MCAD has provided not just technical and conceptual growth, but also a critical community that challenges and inspires me to think more deeply about the role of art in social transformation.

Favorite thing about the program or the community (so far)?

My favorite thing about the program so far has been the sense of community and mutual support among students and faculty. The MFA environment at MCAD encourages vulnerability, experimentation, and deep conversations—not just about art, but about lived experience. It’s rare to find a space where critique feels constructive and compassionate at the same time, and that has made a huge difference in how I’ve grown as an artist. I also really value the interdisciplinary nature of the program—being surrounded by artists working across different media and perspectives continually pushes me to think in new ways and challenge my own assumptions.

What inspires you?

I'm most inspired by personal histories—especially the quiet, often overlooked stories carried through memory, family, and cultural tradition. As someone connected to the immigrant experience, I’m deeply moved by the resilience found in objects, language, and ritual. I draw inspiration from conversations with my community, from the emotional weight embedded in everyday belongings, and from the struggle to preserve identity across borders and generations. I'm also influenced by artists and storytellers who use their practice to create space for marginalized voices, and who treat art as both a personal and political act. Ultimately, it’s the human capacity for endurance, connection, and transformation that keeps driving my work.

Do you have a favorite piece you've made? Describe it!

One of my favorite pieces I’ve made is Sacred Lives, Stolen Identities: The Power of Belongings. It’s an immersive installation that explores the emotional and cultural significance of personal objects carried by Mexican migrants. What makes it so meaningful to me is the deeply personal connection I have to the subject—I created it not only to reflect on broader issues of migration and identity, but also to honor stories tied to my own family history.
The piece combines photography, video, and interactive elements to create a layered sensory experience. Viewers open custom wooden boxes to discover intimate black-and-white portraits, while video screens feature interviews where migrants share the emotional weight of specific objects they brought with them. Tablets display close-ups of their eyes, blinking and moving, making the presence of each individual feel real and immediate. The entire piece is housed in a black box gallery space, which intensifies the emotional atmosphere and encourages focused, intimate engagement.
What I love most about this work is how it centers the voices and experiences of people who are often spoken about but rarely heard. It’s not just a piece of art—it’s a space for empathy, memory, and quiet reflection.

Anything you're obsessed with at the moment?

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the historical photographic process mordançage. There’s something incredibly powerful about the way it physically alters the image—lifting emulsion, creating veils and textures—that aligns with the themes I explore in my work, especially memory, identity, and the passage of time. The process feels almost performative: it’s delicate but destructive, beautiful but unsettling. I’m drawn to how it disrupts the surface of the photograph, much like how migration or trauma disrupts personal history. It’s helping me think about how to visually express vulnerability and impermanence in new, more visceral ways. I’m currently experimenting with integrating it into my installation practice to see how it can push the emotional and material boundaries of my work.

How do you hope your work lives beyond the gallery?

I hope my work continues to resonate with people long after they’ve seen it—whether it sparks a conversation, inspires someone to share their own story, or simply creates a moment of quiet reflection. For me, art is most powerful when it lives in memory, when it unsettles or softens something in the viewer that lingers. I want my installations to create spaces for empathy and connection, especially for voices that are often overlooked or misunderstood. Beyond the gallery, I hope the emotional truths embedded in the work stay with people, encouraging deeper thought about identity, migration, and the meaning of belonging in their own lives.

What's the best thing you've found on the Free Shelf?

The best thing I’ve found on the Free Shelf was a book about installation art—it felt like a little gift from the universe at exactly the right time. I was in the middle of refining my own installation, Sacred Lives, Stolen Identities, and flipping through that book gave me fresh perspectives on space, audience interaction, and material choices. It reminded me how generous and supportive the creative community at MCAD can be—even something as small as a free book can open up new ideas and directions.

Graciela De Anda, Final Elena