Indira Allegra is a multidisciplinary American artist and writer based in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
.
Background and education
Allegra was born in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, and moved to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, in the 1980s.
Allegra studied Biology at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in the late 1990s but left and later completed an Associate of Applied Science degree in Sign Language Interpretation from
Portland Community College
Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colum ...
in 2005 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of Arts in 2015.
Allegra has worked as a sign language interpreter, domestic violence advocate, union organizer, teaching artist, and in the service industry.
Art and awards
Allegra makes work concerned with memorial and social tension. They work in a variety of genres and media, including performative craft, poetry, dance, weaving, sculpture, assemblage, and site-specific installations. Their work has been featured in exhibitions at the
Museum of Arts and Design
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...
,
The University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the be ...
's Arts Incubator,
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is an independent, not-for-profit contemporary art museum and performing arts complex located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, nati ...
San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Foundation is a San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy organization. It is one of the largest community foundations
Community foundations (CFs) are instruments of civil society designed to pool donations into a coordinated investment and ...
* 2022 ''TEXERE: The Shape of Loss is A Tapestry,''
Minnesota Street Project
Minnesota Street Project (MSP), is a dual for-profit/foundation model art space founded in 2016 in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, California; and features 13 art galleries, an event space, and a restaurant.
History
Minnesota Stree ...
, San Francisco, California
* 2019 ''Burke Prize Exhibition'', Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York
* 2019 ''Even Thread asa Speech'', John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
* 2018 ''Art+Practice+Ideas'', Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, California
* 2018 ''BODYWARP'', Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, California
* 2016 ''Blackout'', YBCA, San Francisco, California
Writing
Allegra published Blackout with Sming Sming Books in 2017. Their writing has appeared in American Craft, Art Journal, Foglifter Magazine, Cream City Review and Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry. Their work has been anthologized in ''Dear Sister'', ''Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California'' and ''Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature'' among others.