Artist Statement
Born in Mexico and based in New York, an avid traveler and lore researcher, Miguel Cossio is a visual artist and writer/director of performance pieces. His interest is the Latinx experience, ritual art forms from World cultures, and their ever changing circumstances. His performance pieces are often satirical, incorporating poetry, mythology, mask and puppets, face and body painting, and tribal art. Many of his “universal” stories evolve into new contexts, as has similarly happened with the transculturation and consumerism shaping native traditions all around the world. Some of his latest expressions include, “Popol Vuh,” produced by and presented at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC; “On how the Three Wise Men got lost in New York on their way to Bethlehem,” produced by CTMD and presented at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC; and “Day of the Dead,” produced by and presented at the National Museum of the American Indian/ Smithsonian in NYC. His interest in the traditions and ritualistic art forms from Native American lore and their continuous and evolving changes are at the core of his installation pieces and most of his visual work.
Educational Background
SUNY Purchase College, Purchase, NY. ; Escuela de Investigacion y Experimentacion Plastica, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico City; Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes San Carlos, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City.
Teaching Artist Experience
As part of the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program, a four-year grant through the US Department of Education to Mount Vernon schools, Miguel worked with sixth grade students in Graham Elementary School where they made clay sculpture relief as part of an exploration of Ancient Egypt in social studies, created paper sculptures as part of a study of math concepts positive and negative, and created paintings while studying weather for science. Fifth graders in Edward Williams Elementary School were engaged in 3D mixed media art projects on landforms, waterways, and climates. Miguel has also done an artist residency with elementary school students at School 13 in Yonkers where children created set designs. Other artist residencies include Paideia School 24, Patricia A. DiChiaro School and Enrico Fermi Performing Arts School in Yonkers, White Plains Hospital CDT Center, and Seton Manor in Yonkers.
