BFA - Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
MFA - University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
Leandra Urrutia is an object maker and storyteller based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Borrowing parts of the human form, she makes powerful compositions and installations that showcase her wild and unconventional creative sense. Her studio work illustrates compelling female-centered struggles between body and mind, especially as one experiences injury, healing and the aging process. Her Mexican-American heritage, Catholic upbringing, interest in aggressive sports, and visits to China continue to bring an unorthodox influence to the ceramic and mixed media sculptures she dreams up.
Leandra’s work has been exhibited locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Her honors and awards include a McKnight Residency award from the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an ArtsMemphis Emmett O’Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration, and a National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Emerging Artist award. Examples of her work can be found in the Lark Book Series 500 Figures in Clay and 500 Ceramic Sculptures. Leandra is a co-founding member of Studio Nong: An International Sculpture Collective and Residency Program that originated in Nanning, Guangxi Province, PRC. She also creates functional pottery and served as president of the Memphis Potters Guild in Memphis, Tennessee from 2019 to 2022. She taught ceramic sculpture, foundations, and a variety of other courses at the Memphis College of Art from 2002 until its closure in May 2020 and briefly served as faculty at Mississippi Valley State University from 2020 to 2022. Currently she serves on the faculty of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, Texas, teaching ceramics to undergraduate and graduate students.
MFA - University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
Leandra Urrutia is an object maker and storyteller based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Borrowing parts of the human form, she makes powerful compositions and installations that showcase her wild and unconventional creative sense. Her studio work illustrates compelling female-centered struggles between body and mind, especially as one experiences injury, healing and the aging process. Her Mexican-American heritage, Catholic upbringing, interest in aggressive sports, and visits to China continue to bring an unorthodox influence to the ceramic and mixed media sculptures she dreams up.
Leandra’s work has been exhibited locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Her honors and awards include a McKnight Residency award from the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an ArtsMemphis Emmett O’Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration, and a National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Emerging Artist award. Examples of her work can be found in the Lark Book Series 500 Figures in Clay and 500 Ceramic Sculptures. Leandra is a co-founding member of Studio Nong: An International Sculpture Collective and Residency Program that originated in Nanning, Guangxi Province, PRC. She also creates functional pottery and served as president of the Memphis Potters Guild in Memphis, Tennessee from 2019 to 2022. She taught ceramic sculpture, foundations, and a variety of other courses at the Memphis College of Art from 2002 until its closure in May 2020 and briefly served as faculty at Mississippi Valley State University from 2020 to 2022. Currently she serves on the faculty of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, Texas, teaching ceramics to undergraduate and graduate students.
