Xavier Ignacio Cortada (born September 13, 1964) is an American eco artist, public artist, and former lawyer. As a

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

Antarctic Artists and Writers Program fellow and a

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

-sponsored Artist, Cortada created works at the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

and

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

to generate awareness about global

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. He has worked with groups globally to produce collaborative art projects, including peace murals in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, child welfare murals in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, AIDS murals in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, juvenile justice murals and projects in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and eco-art projects in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Cortada has also been commissioned to create art for

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Gene ...

, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, Florida Botanical Gardens,

Miami City Hall Miami City Hall is the local government headquarters for the City of Miami, Florida. It has been located in the former Pan American Airlines Terminal Building on Dinner Key, which was designed by Delano & Aldrich and constructed in 1934 for th ...

, Miami-Dade County Hall, the

Florida Turnpike Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the ...

, the

Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, formerly known as the Miami Science Museum or Miami Science Museum and Space Transit Planetarium, is a science museum, planetarium, and aquarium located in Miami, Florida, United States. The museu ...

Museum of Florida History The Museum of Florida History is the U.S. state of Florida's history museum, housing exhibits and artifacts covering its history and prehistory. It is located in the state capital, Tallahassee, Florida, at the R. A. Gray Building, 500 South Bron ...

Port Everglades Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2022, Port Eve ...

, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, and at ten Miami-Dade Housing Authority sites.

Early life and education

Cortada was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, on September 13, 1964, and raised in

. His parents are both Cuban immigrants. He attended the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1986, a Master of Public Administration from

Miami Herbert Business School Miami Herbert Business School (officially the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School) is the business school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. The school was founded in 1929 ...

in 1991, and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest law school in South Florida, graduating its first ...

in 1991. At the University of Miami, he was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the university.

Career

Early in his childhood, Cortada was fascinated with

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...

during family trips to Bear Cut Key in

Key Biscayne, Florida Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Located on the island of Key Biscayne, the village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

. The plant functions as a central theme to many of his socially engaged artworks and public art projects. Between 1997 and 2007, Cortada received support from Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council's Community Grants to implement art projects with Miami-Dade Art in Public Places, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,

, Centro Campesino, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, Citizens for a Better South Florida, Hands-on Miami, and the Office of the Public Defender. In 1998, the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs’ Artist Residency grant helped him implement the ''Reach for the Future'' Miami-Dade Art in Public Places residency at Palm Springs Middle School in

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in Miami-Da ...

in 1998. In 1999, with a Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council/Art Center South Florida's New Forms Artists Grant, he implemented the "WebStudio Project," an Internet-based collaborative art project using two webcams and a live chat room. Cortada served as artistic director of various efforts sponsored by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places, including Master Peace, a school-based art project in

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida, the largest in the South ...

, and the Public Art Transforming Housing in Miami-Dade Housing Agency (PATH). Cortada also volunteered with U.S. embassies in four continents and implemented numerous international mural projects through grant awards and artist residencies. He did so with the support of various entities, including the U.S. State Department and USAID. In February 2000, invited by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, Cortada visited

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

to participate in the Jubilee Day for Artists and meet

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. That summer, he was invited to create a mural for the White House Conference on Minority Homeownership. The president was one of the participants of his collaborative mural. In 2007, as a

Antarctic Artist and Writer's Program Fellow, the artist used the moving ice sheet beneath the

as an instrument to mark time; the art piece will be completed in 150,000 years. In 2008, he planted a green flag at the

to reclaim it for nature and launch an eco-art reforestation effort.

Artistic collaborations

* At

, Cortada worked with a physicist to develop a site-specific art installation capturing the five search strategies, which the CMS experiment has used to discover a new Higgs-like particle. The five giant banners hang at the location (100m below the ground) where the particle was discovered. * He has worked with a population geneticist on a project exploring ancestral journeys out of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

60,000 years ago, with a molecular biologist to synthesize an actual DNA strand made from a sequence randomly generated by participants visiting his museum exhibit, and with botanists in participatory eco-art projects to reforest mangroves, native trees and wildflowers. * Cortada is working with scientists at Hubbard Brook Long Term Ecological Research Network on a water cycle visualization project driven by real-time data collected at a watershed in the White Mountains in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. * At

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

, Cortada collaborated with Florida Coastal Everglades LTER scientists in using the diatoms they study to address sea level rise and environmental degradation. From 2011 to 2018, Cortada based his engaged art-science practice at

. where he served as Artist-in-Residence at FIU School of Environment, Arts and Society, the FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education, and the FIU College of Communication, Architecture and The Arts. *He has worked with groups globally on collaborative art projects, including peace murals in

and

, child welfare murals in

and

, AIDS murals in

and

, juvenile justice murals and projects in

and

, and eco-art projects in

, the

, and

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Cortada has been commissioned to create art for

, the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

, the Florida Governor's Mansion, Florida Botanical Gardens,

, Miami-Dade County Hall, the

, Miami-Dade Housing Authority, the Frost Science Museum,

, and the

Frost Art Museum The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum'' (''"Frost Art Museum") is an art museum located in the Modesto A. Maidique campus of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1977 as The Art Museum at Florida Internat ...

. His work is in the permanent collections of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the NSU Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the

Whatcom Museum The Whatcom Museum is a natural history and art museum located in Bellingham, Washington. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Whatcom Museum has a three building campus that includes Old City Hall, Old Fire Station No.1, and The L ...

, the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum and the MDC Museum of Art + Design.

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

, and Hershey's have commissioned his art. Publishers, including McDougal and

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

, have featured it in school textbooks and publications. His work has also been featured in National Geographic TV and the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

. Cortada's studio is located at Pinecrest Gardens, where he serves as artist-in-residence, implements his participatory art projects and runs the Hibiscus Gallery. He lso serves on boards of various national, regional and local groups, including University of Miami Alumni Association, South Arts, and the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council.

Notable works

Cortada has created art in the North and South poles and across six continents and also leads a robust community-engaged art practice. Some of his socially engaged works include: :*Letters to the Future (2019) :*Plan(T) (2019) :*Underwater HOA (2018) :*Florida is... Nature (2015) :*In Search of Higgs boson (2013) :*Flor500 (2013) :*Wind Words (2012) :*Sequentia (2010) :*Ancestral Journeys (2010) :*Ancestral Dinner Party (2010) :*Endangered World: Life Wall (2009) :*Native Flags (2008) :*Arctic Ice Paintings (2008) :*Longitudinal Installation (2007) :*Antarctic Ice Paintings (2007) :*Reclamation Project (2006)

References

*Global Warnings, by Suzaan Boettger, Art in America, Issue No. 6, pp. 154–161, 206–207, June/July 2008
Bold as Ice
, By Carlos Suarez de Jesus, Miami New Times, March 29, 2007
Interactive Art About Climate Change in a City Where It Will Wreak Havoc
''Hyperallergic''. 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2018-07-10

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortada, Xavier 1964 births Living people American gay artists American modern painters Climate change artists Former Roman Catholics Gay Christians University of Miami Business School alumni University of Miami School of Law alumni