Artist Statement
My passion is to live a great creative life with deep purpose and truth. In my journey, I struggled with adversities and hardships like depression, grief, oppression, prejudice and a number of traumatic incidents that were difficult to process. Engaging in art has been a safe way for me to learn, understand life, express, nurture growth, as well as transmute those collected moments of deep suffering into empowerment. Therefore, I have great respect and love for arts, design and the creative process. The most rewarding part of my work is being able to create pieces that resonate and help people feel comforted, understood, and hold space for support in their own moments of change. As a creative practitioner, I have studied healing and modalities of compassion to which adds sensitivity to my work. My background has also been strengthened by working with people in the business field of logistics and sales. Therefore, when I create artwork, relevancy in understanding what people need is a very important focus for me. I visually explore deep topics in mental health, therapy, spirituality, healing, and advocacy in the expression and protection of life. I create these visual storytelling pieces using different mediums in videography and for paintings, I use all sorts of mediums such as chalk pastel, gold leaf and acrylic paint. My pieces have been shared in exhibitions to help to protect children from trafficking, healing from abuse, in other campaigns revering culture and identity, and my illustrations have been published advocating for education.
Biography
Lea May Rivera is a first-generation Filipino American mixed media artist, born in 1990, with humble beginnings in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised for a time in between Manila, Philippines and the United States. At an early age, she was self taught in drawing figures, painting landscapes, and later in portraiture. As an honors graduate, she obtained an Associate’s Degree in Arts at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. From 2010 to the present day, Lea has participated in various exhibitions, children’s workshops, commission work, and immersed in acting and managerial roles in local theater productions. She has worked with organizations from the Philippine American Cultural Foundation, the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago, the Philippine Consulate of Chicago, the Chicago Public Library, Sinag Chicago Art, and with the Reclaim13 Non-Profit Organization that helps reclaim the lives of children impacted from abuse and exploitation. Rivera immerses passionately in her work as a spirit-filled artist, creative compassion practitioner, speaker, guide and a humanitarian to pressing causes needing support.
CV
Born in Hawaii, United States, 1990.
Resides and works in Illinois, United States.
Education
2022, Digital Course & Facilitation on Content Creation, Summer School, Michelle Phan
2021, Digital Courses & Facilitation on Social Media & Content Creation, Nas Academy
2012, AA Honors in Arts, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
Selected Exhibitions
2024, SInag: Ray of Light: An Art Exhibit by 48 Filipino - American Artists of Chicago and Greater Chicago , (group exhibition), Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.
2024, Reclaim13’s Reclaiming Voices Survivor Art Show, (group exhibition), The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.
2023, Celebration of Filipino American History Month with the Arts, (group exhibition), Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois.
2022 & 2023, Reclaim13’s Reclaiming Voices Survivor Art Show, (group exhibition), The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.
2017, Filipino History Unveiled Through The Arts, (group exhibition), Trickster Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois.
2016, Celebrating Diversity: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, (group exhibition), Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois.
2014, Typhoon Haiyan: One Year Later, Remembrance & Reconstruction, (group exhibition), University of Chicago International House, Chicago Illinois.
2011, Pinas Sining: Filipino Arts at a Glimpse, (group exhibition) Chicago Pedway of the Daley Center, Chicago, Illinois.
2010, Singgalot: Ties that Bind, (group exhibition), Native American Indian Trickster Gallery, Schaumburg, Illinois.
2010, Glimpses of the Filipino, (solo exhibition), Eola Community Center/ Fox Valley Park District, Aurora, Illinois.
Performance Art: Theater
Time Stands Still, 2015, Stage Manager, Evergreen Theater Ensemble
A Christmas Carol, 2014, Assistant Stage Manager, Evergreen Theater Ensemble
The Haunted Widow Lincoln, 2014, Zuzu Jones, Batavia Arts Council
And We Will Share The Sky, 2014, Tiny Whale, Evergreen Theater Ensemble
Bibliography
Almira Astudillo Gilles, Hotspot, Cool Country Biodiversity in the Philippines. Philippines: Anvil Publishing Inc, 2016.
Selected Press
Amy Rutledge, “5th Annual Reclaiming Voices Survivor Art Show” in Wgntv.com (2023) at [https://wgntv.com/daytime-chicago/5th-annual-reclaiming-voices-survivor-art-show/], published on 17 April, 2023
Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, “12 Fil-Am Artists Hold Exhibit in ‘Windy City’” in GMAnetwork.com (2011) at [https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/dispatch/234662/12-fil-am-artists-hold-exhibit-in-windy-city/story/], consulted on 07 October, 2011
“Pinas Sining- Philippine Arts at a Glimpse,” Chicagoartistsresource.org, September, 27, 2011
Antero Tomas, “Smithsonian Travelling Exhibit, FAHSC’s Singgalot and P2P” in Examiner.com (2010), consulted on 14 July, 2010
Rowena Vergara, “Pilipinos in Chicago make their mark with 3rd Passport to Philippines” in BakitWhy.com (2010) at [http://www.bakitwhy.com/articles/pilipinos-chicago-make-their-mark-3rd-passport-philippines], consulted on 05 July , 2010.
Public Engagements
[2010 & 2011]: Artist Facilitator of Children’s Art Workshop at Philippine American Cultural Foundation’s Passport to Philippines, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago, Illinois.
[2010}: Artist Facilitator of Children’s Art Workshop at Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago’s Rizal Convention- Singgalot: Ties that Bind, American Indian Trickster Gallery, Schaumburg, Illinois.