Elsa Mora is an artist and curator born and raised in Cuba. In her culture, mental illness is not a secret and she would know because she grew up surrounded by family members who had bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, autism, and alcoholism.
Elsa moved to Los Angeles to pursue art in 2001 and then to Upstate New York with her husband and two children in 2014. She continues to make art, now focusing on unique paper sculptures while also curating the Art Yard, an alternative contemporary art gallery, theater, and residency program.
Elsa’s art has been exhibited worldwide in art galleries and museums. She’s taught at the Vocational School of Arts in Cuba and has been a visiting artist at the Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco State University, The Art Institute of Boston, the MoMA Design Store, and the National Gallery of Art, among others. Her work is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC and the Long Beach Museum of Art in California. As an illustrator, she’s collaborated with the Museum of Modern Art, The New York Review of Books, Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and more. Elsa is passionate about forming and strengthening communities through the transformational power of art, creativity, and collaboration.
Elsa’s beloved son Diego was diagnosed as autistic when he was two years old. When her son turned fourteen, he experienced psychosis and was hospitalized. Elsa believes her intuition is serving her family well because she’s been dealing with mentally ill family members her whole life. It’s why she’s so open and willing to share about her family’s struggles so others can get over their discomfort and rid themselves of their own shame and secrets.
Growing up poor in Cuba taught Elsa the most precious possession we have is our mind and that creativity and imagination can solve any problem, whether material or emotional. Elsa’s complex, delicate and fascinating paper sculptures are a metaphor for the mind, and hers is full of creativity, beautiful design, and profound thoughts.
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