BEND, Ore. — A new exhibition opening this weekend at the High Desert Museum invites visitors to step into the lives of the workers who harvest the food that fills American tables.
“Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer (The Hands That Feed)” debuts Saturday, April 11, featuring vibrant murals, hand-drawn animations and large-scale, hand-painted installations that highlight the often-unseen labor of agricultural workers.
The exhibit centers on the work of Miguel Almeida, 33, a Boise-based artist whose roots in farm labor deeply inform his art. A first-generation Mexican American, Almeida grew up working in the fertile Owyhee and Snake River valleys of Idaho alongside his mother, an experience that continues to shape his portrayal of agricultural communities.
Through bold imagery and immersive design, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect not only on where food comes from, but also on the people whose labor sustains the food system.
“The Museum explores how people and the landscape shape one another, and Miguel Almeida’s work brings that relationship to life in a powerful way,” said Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “His images center the farm workers, inviting visitors to consider the human stories behind what often feels like an invisible process.”
The roughly 1,000-square-foot gallery space is transformed into a vivid environment inspired by Almeida’s travels in Mexico, with a façade painted in bright pinks, teals, yellows and purples. Inside, large-scale murals anchor the exhibit.
At the center stands a hand-painted cutout figure of a farmworker more than 10 feet tall, surrounded by real soil. The scent of earth and ambient audio recordings of fieldwork further immerse visitors in the agricultural setting.
Two hand-painted animations flank the gallery. One follows a farmworker through the rhythms of daily life, from home to the fields in varying conditions. The other traces the journey of harvested crops through the modern supply chain, contrasting field labor with the everyday experience of grocery shopping.
“My hope, through this work, is that people make a connection to who is doing the hard work to feed us,” Almeida said. “I wanted to take it a step further and make sure we aren’t just reduced to a ‘labor force.’ We are also humans, with hopes and dreams.”
The exhibition was sparked by a chance encounter. Dustin Cockerham, the museum’s senior curator of exhibitions and collections, first discovered Almeida’s work during a motorcycle trip through Idaho, where he noticed a striking mural set against working farmland near Boise.
“There’s almost a comic-book superhero element to it,” Cockerham said. “It’s a very contemporary style, influenced by skateboarding culture while also drawing from Mexican folk traditions.”
“Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer” will run through Oct. 11. The exhibit is supported by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, with additional support from Central Oregon Radiology Associates.
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