statement

“My artwork is a form of archival art, documenting personal and cultural narratives through abstract books, sculptural installations, and performance art. Each piece disrupts traditional material uses to uncover layered textures and meanings—such as applying a brayer directly on cloth rather than the customary linoleum plate, challenging boundaries to reveal new interactions with form and surface. Currently, I explore themes of roots, cultural continuity, and generational memory, building a dialogue on connection and disconnection across borders. In In Death, With Love: Muerte, Con Amor, I experiment with clear mylar and a sewing machine to ‘stitch’ without thread, creating an intricate, unfilled pattern of needle holes that echoes the void left by loss, forming my visual language of grief. The work represents absence as presence, hoping to invite viewers to reflect on the spaces and the meanings loss creates”

"Mi trabajo actual investiga mis raíces y cultura, conexión y desconexión, historia generacional, cruzar fronteras."

bio

Diana Calderón is a multidisciplinary artist, creative leader, and bilingual educator. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and raised in the borderlands of El Paso, Texas, she lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona, maintaining an active art practice throughout the Southwest.

Calderón’s artwork is rooted in heritage, personal history, identity, and generational stories, and she draws on a range of bi-national materials to express her upbringing between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Her multidisciplinary approach and cultural exploration includes Material Innovation combining rascoachismo with traditional and contemporary techniques, including relief printmaking, bookmaking, sculptural installations, public, and performance art.

In 2022, her installation was displayed at the ASU Art Museum as part of her residency with CALA Alliance, and she was awarded an Artist 2 Work grant from the City of Phoenix Arts and Culture. Her work has been featured in Southwest Contemporary Magazine, KJZZ Fronteras Desk & Sounds of the City, ASU State Press, and Medium.com. She has also served as a keynote speaker for Creative Mornings.

A former school educator and administrator, Calderón is dedicated to cultural preservation, equity, and inclusion. She is a certified Grief Educator, an alum of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute, and currently leads impactful workshops and coaches emerging professionals.

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Creative Mornings Phoenix Talk “Uproot” by Diana Calderon

Artist Studio Tour, presented by the ASU Art Museum. Meet Diana Calderon at her home studio. In this video, Diana talks to us about random fun facts, and shares some of her projects with us. 2020.