Faculty member Xavier Cortada works at the intersection of art and policy and most recently taught “Socially Engaged Art in Law” and “Urbanization, Capitalism and Development” at the School of Law. Though his primary faculty appointment is in the Department of Art and Art History, he also serves in the University’s School of Law, Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, College of Arts and Sciences, Miami Business School, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Architecture, and School of Communication.

“I use art to inspire to spark curiosity, to get individuals to be interested in something – and then usually I tie that in with an educational component,” said Cortada, B.A. ’86, M.A. ’91, J.D. ’91, at a recent event at the Don Soffer Clinical Research Center.

The Cuban American artist is known for his interdisciplinary approach, which seamlessly bridges the realms of art and academia. Cortada’s art transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries and is dedicated to generating awareness and inspiring action in response to critical environmental challenges, including climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss.

His community work touches on many aspects of law, and he has previously worked with the Environmental Justice Clinic. He has lectured in multiple clinic classes on community engagement and art as social practice. The clinic also worked closely with the Underwater HOA he founded—a community group of homeowners grappling with issues of sea-level rise. He collaborates with Professor Jessica Owley on a U-Link team examining climate migration patterns and impacts in South Florida and the Caribbean.

Cortada has also worked extensively with the Children and Youth Law Clinic, bringing ArtCARE to juveniles being tried as adults, among other projects.

The clinic first collaborated with Cortada to create two paintings as part of the “Voice Project,” depicting the experiences of foster children involuntarily committed by the state to psychiatric hospitals. These canvases were part of a solo exhibition of Cortada’s work in the Florida Supreme Court rotunda and are now on permanent display in the clinic’s offices. This collaboration two decades ago coincided with the successful multi-year Florida Supreme Court advocacy to expand due process protections for these children. 

Cortada and Professor Bernard Perlmutter also co-authored an article discussing the clinic’s systemic advocacy enriched by this social-practice artistic collaboration, which added clients’ voices to the public discussion about unlawful and dehumanizing practices.

Trapped

“Art also serves in a very therapeutic way,” Cortada said. 

Cortada unveiled the narrative of a young girl confined within the walls of a psychiatric facility whose fervent wish was to reclaim her voice. Terminated of maternal rights and a survivor of sexual abuse, she found herself bound in four-point restraints, subjected to injections administered by therapists.

“What we, as lawyers at the Children and Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami, wanted was for her to be able to have general counsel who would articulate and voice her own opinions,” said Cortada. The case reached the Florida Supreme Court. 

The mural project was commissioned by the University of Miami School of Law Children and Youth Law Clinic and funded through a community grant from the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs. The mural was created alongside youth from the Citrus residential program.

Art Spurs Awareness and Action

Based in Miami, Cortada’s artistic journey has taken him from the North to the South Poles, making him the only artist to create work at both Earth’s extremities. His impact spans six continents, where he has created more than 150 public artworks, installations, murals, and socially engaged projects over the past three decades. 

Cortada continues to make an impact on a local and global scale. His community-driven art initiatives have catalyzed more than 25 years of ecological restoration.

During his talk at the event, Cortada vividly demonstrated the transformative power of art in self-expression and vulnerability. By involving people in his engaged art projects, he ignites collective action, inspiring efforts to address societal concerns effectively. 

Art can mobilize communities, drive meaningful change, and shape a more sustainable future, emphasized Cortada. Encouraging individuals to reflect on the connection between the environment and personal well-being, his work underlines the vital role of art in promoting healthier and more resilient communities.

Cortada believes that art serves as a disarming platform that brings voices together. In particular, he highlighted the therapeutic role of art in helping individuals find different means to communicate their experiences constructively.

In an attempt to heal and amplify voices that have remained unheard, Cortada collaborated on the first annual Center for Disease Control National Sexual Violence Prevention Conference in Dallas, Texas, in 2000. Cortada and conference participants created the nine-foot-long mural. 

Original Article: https://news.miami.edu/law/stories/2023/10/art-in-action-empowering-communities-for-health-climate.html