Rosa Naday Garmendia is a multidisciplinary artist and museum educator working at the intersection of contemporary art, printmaking, and social practice. Grounded in letterpress and relief printing, she uses print as a tool for collective expression—amplifying marginalized voices, fostering dialogue, and bringing urgent social issues into public space through participatory, community-driven projects.
Born in La Habana, Cuba, and based between Havana and Miami, Garmendia’s practice is shaped by the cultural, political, and ecological landscapes of both cities and the broader Caribbean. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, she engages diverse communities through accessible, hands-on approaches that position art as a shared experience rather than a finished object.
Her work is informed by her experience as a museum educator, community-based artist, and printmaker, as well as her interests in the natural and social sciences, history, and community organizing. Grounded in values of labor, resourcefulness, and collective care, she is interested in how creativity grows through commitment, collaboration, and the thoughtful use of available materials. Through her work, she explores how art can foster belonging, amplify overlooked voices, and strengthen community connections. She views printmaking as both a historic tool for sharing ideas and a contemporary way to encourage empathy, critical thinking, and collective imagination.
With a perspective shaped by the Global South, Garmendia’s work often takes place beyond gallery and museum walls through collaborations with libraries, community centers, schools, and other public spaces. She has developed projects with organizations including the Miami Beach Regional Library, Hollywood Art & Culture Center, Perrine Community House, Sweet Home Academy, Proyecto Akokan, Proyecto Quisicuaba and community partners throughout Miami and Havana.
Her practice has maintained a sustained presence across the Caribbean through exhibitions, residencies, and cultural exchanges. Garmendia has presented her work at institutions including Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam and Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales (CDAV) in Havana, Galería Universal in Santiago de Cuba, The CAG(E) in Kingston, Jamaica, L’Artocarpe Contemporary Art Space in Guadeloupe, and Readytex Art Gallery in Suriname, as well as through her participation in the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th Havana Biennials.
Since 2012, she has served as a cultural ambassador with Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, participating in artist exchanges throughout the Caribbean. She currently serves on the boards of two South Florida arts organizations.
She has received numerous grants, among them, The Ellies Creator Award, Miami Individual Artist (MIA) Award, Artist Access Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, Wavemaker Grant, South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship, and the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Catalyst Award.
Notable residencies include Kala Art Institute, In Cahoots Residency, Punto Naranja, Oolite Arts Home and Away Residency program at MASSMoCA, Casa de la Ceramica, Equal Justice Thematic International Residency and Vermont Studio Center artist Residency.
Rosa Naday Garmendia es una artista multidisciplinaria y educadora museal cuyo trabajo se sitúa en la intersección del arte contemporáneo, la gráfica y la práctica social. Basada en los procesos de tipografía (letterpress) y grabado en relieve, utiliza la gráfica como una herramienta de expresión colectiva para amplificar voces marginadas, fomentar el diálogo y llevar temas sociales urgentes al espacio público mediante proyectos participativos impulsados por la comunidad.
Nacida en La Habana, Cuba, y radicada entre La Habana y Miami, su práctica artística está moldeada por los paisajes culturales, políticos y ecológicos de ambas ciudades y del Caribe en general. Habla inglés, español y haitiano criollo, y trabaja con comunidades diversas a través de enfoques accesibles y participativos que conciben el arte como una experiencia compartida más que como un objeto terminado.
Su trabajo está influenciado por su experiencia como educadora de museo, artista comunitaria y grabadora, así como por su interés en las ciencias naturales y sociales, la historia y el activismo. Fundamentada en una comprensión del trabajo como fuente de conocimiento, creación y transformación social, así como en valores de ingenio y cuidado colectivo, le interesa cómo la creatividad se desarrolla a través del compromiso, la colaboración y el uso consciente de los materiales disponibles. A través de su práctica, explora cómo el arte puede fomentar el sentido de pertenencia, amplificar voces poco escuchadas y fortalecer los vínculos comunitarios. Considera la gráfica tanto una herramienta histórica para compartir ideas como una forma contemporánea de promover la empatía, el pensamiento crítico y la imaginación colectiva.
Con una perspectiva influenciada por el Sur Global, el trabajo de Garmendia suele desarrollarse más allá de las galerías y los museos, a través de colaboraciones con bibliotecas, centros comunitarios, escuelas y otros espacios públicos. Ha realizado proyectos con organizaciones como la Biblioteca Regional de Miami Beach, el Hollywood Art & Culture Center, Perrine Community House, Sweet Home Academy, Proyecto Akokan, Proyecto Quisicuaba y diversos colaboradores comunitarios en Miami y La Habana.
Su práctica ha mantenido una presencia constante en el Caribe a través de exposiciones, residencias artisticas e intercambios culturales. Ha presentado su trabajo en instituciones como el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam y el Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales (CDAV) en La Habana, la Galería Universal en Santiago de Cuba, The CAG(E) en Kingston, Jamaica, L’Artocarpe Contemporary Art Space en Guadalupe y Readytex Art Gallery en Surinam, además de participar en las ediciones 12, 13, 14 y 15 de la Bienal de La Habana.
Desde 2012 se desempeña como embajadora cultural de Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, participando en intercambios artísticos a lo largo del Caribe. Actualmente forma parte de las juntas directivas de dos organizaciones artísticas del sur de la Florida.
Ha recibido numerosas becas y reconocimientos, entre ellos The Ellies Creator Award, Miami Individual Artist (MIA) Award, Artist Access Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, Wavemaker Grant, South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship y el Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Catalyst Award.
Entre sus residencias artísticas más destacadas se encuentran Kala Art Institute, In Cahoots Residency, Punto Naranja, el programa Home and Away Residency de Oolite Arts en MASS MoCA, Casa de la Cerámica, Equal Justice Thematic International Residency y Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency.
RESUME/CV
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS/SOCIAL PRACTICE PROJECTS
2025-2026
Miami Street Press: Community Gatherings and Artmaking. Love Lives Here Postcards
2025
Salvar el planeta. ¿Cómo? Community Arts Project, Festival del Caribe, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Forbidden Pages…In Flight, Miami Beach Regional Library, curator Oscar Fuentes, Rosa Naday Garmendia
Salvar el planeta. ¿Cómo?Community Art Project, 15th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba, Biennial Curatorial Team
2024
Salvar el planeta. ¿Cómo?Community Art Project, 15th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba, Biennial Curatorial Team
Forbidden Pages, Art @ the Library, Hispanic Branch, Miami, FL, curated by Oscar Fuentes and Rosa Naday Garmendia
2023-24
Forbidden Pages, Walgreens Windows Exhibition Space, Oolite Arts, Miami Beach, FL
2022
Rituals of Commemoration, public sculpture, 14th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba
2021
Rituals of Commemoration, temporary public art installation,Miami Art Week
2020
Not so Far Away, No tan lejos, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL
2019
Regreso al futuro: las mareas del tiempo, 13th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba
2016
Destination Fridays, Cuba, African Heritage Research Library, FT. Lauderdale, FL
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, O Cinema, Wynnwood, FL
2015
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, Art @ the Library-Hispanic Library, Miami, FL
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, Art @ the Library-West-Regional Library, Miami, FL
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Salon Internacional del Caribe, Galeria Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Expansión 15 / Bienal de La Habana, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, (The Wifredo Lam Center of Contemporary Art), Havana, Cuba
Florida Printmakers Society’s 2025 Biennial, Miami Dade College Kendal Campus Art Gallery
2024
Forbidden Pages, Free the Books: a Print Exhibition, Evanston Public Library, Evanston IL.
2023
Mitad de dos, curated by Meira Marrero,Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba
Banned! An Interactive Lucy Street Project, Lowe Art Museum Project Room, Coral Gables, FL
Cultural Currents III - Miami Meets Paramaribo, curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, ReadyTex Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
The BluPrnt, curated by Robert Chambers, Bridge Red Studios, North Miami, FL
2022
Art at a Time Like This, 8x5: Miami Art Week, curated by Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen
The BluPrnt, Bridge Red Studios, curated by Robert Chambers, North Miami, FL
Miami is Not Cuba, Su·i·ge·ne·ris, ArtServe, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2021
This is Miami · Esto es Miami · Se Miami · C’est Miami · Dit is Miami, curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Wall'N Mural Collective, History Miami Museum
Rituals of Commemoration, Inter/Sectionality: Diaspora Art from the Creole City, curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Moore 200, Miami Design District, Miami, FL
2020
Rituals of Commemoration, Inter/Sectionality: Diaspora Art from the Creole City, curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Harvey B Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture, Charlotte, North Carolina
Not So Far Away Dominoes, MATERIALIZE, Oolite Arts, Miami Beach, FL
2019
Rituals of Commemoration, Inter/Sectionality: Diaspora Art from the Creole City, the Corcoran School of Art and Design
La Ceiba Celebra, Community Arts Project, Havana, Cuba
Warning this May Trigger Debate, To the Letter, @Laundromat Art Space, Miami, FL
Warning this May Trigger Debate, Ripped from the Headlines, FATVILLAGE Projects, Ft Lauderdale, FL
2018
Warning this May Trigger Debate, Se parte de mi Historia, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba
Liberty Flags, (Protest signs) The Eros Effect, Bridge Red Studios, North Miami, FL
Liberty Flags, Voyaging towards the Future, Living Sculpture III, THE CAG(E), Kingston, Jamaica
Liberty Flags, (Protest signs), 2018 Florida Biennial, Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, Hollywood, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, New Art, South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship Exhibition, FAU Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Liberty Flags, Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA, North Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, It went like this: the skyline was beautiful on fire, College Hall Gallery, Vermont Studio Center
2017
Past, Present, Re-imagine the Future, Villa Paula, Former Cuban Consulate, Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration: Reclaiming through action, Bas Fisher Invitational, Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, Women with their Work, Space One Eleven, Birmingham Ala.
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, Crossing Borders, Myers gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Liberty Flags, (Protest signs), Global Perspectives, 400 South Point, Art Basel Miami Beach
Rituals of Commemoration, The Future isn’t what it Used to be, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, UMOCA, SLC, Utah
2016
Warning this May Trigger Debate, One Nation under a Groove, Broward College South Art Gallery, Pembroke Pines, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, Eleven Voices, Charles Deering Estates, Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, Intersectionality, Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA, North Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, Walk a Mile in my Shoes, African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, Miami, FL
Rituals of Commemoration, The Future isn’t what it Used to be, 924 Project Space, Miami Beach, FL
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, Cerrando el Circulo/Full Circle, Galeria Universal, Stgo. de Cuba, Cuba
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, O Cinema, curated by Susan Caraballo, Miami, FL
2015
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, 12th Havana Biennale, Havana, Cuba
Rituals of Commemoration, Alternate Currents | New Art, DVCAI, 18th International Cultural Exchange, L’Artocarpe Contemporary Space, Guadeloupe.
Traveling to Cuba, postcard project, Finalist Feast Miami Project Grants
2014
UNEAC Gallery. Festival del Caribe, Stgo. de Cuba, Cuba
WHAT NEXT? Y Ahora What? Tour, Windows @ Walgreens, site specific installations, MB, FL
One Out of Thousand, Project 924, Miami Beach, FL
2013
VI Bienal Nacional de Fotografía, Centro de las Artes Visuales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
CARIFESTA XI, Public Mural Art Projects, Suriname
O MIAMI POETRY FESTIVAL, Collaborative Installation, Miami Beach, FL
Miami Bridge, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2025, 2018 The Ellies Creator Award
2025-2024, 2021, 2019, 2012 Artist Access Grant
2024, 2023, 2022 Miami Individual Artist Award (MIA)
2022, 2019 Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) Emergency Grant
2020 Wavemaker Grant
2019 Direct Support to Artist Grant, Oolites Arts
2018 South Florida Cultural Consortium Grantee
2017 Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Catalyst Grant
2016 Artist Fellowship Inc.
MURAL PROJECTS
2021 This is Miami · Esto es Miami · Se Miami · C’est Miami · Dit is Miami, Wall'N Mural Collective, History Miami, Museum, Miami FL
2016 Love Bus Project, Miami FL
2013 Park Benches International Project, New Amsterdam, Suriname
2013 Community Center Mural, Coronie, Suriname
2013 CCS International Mural Project, Paramaribo, Suriname
2012 Inter-Nos, Mural Painting Bienal, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
2007 No Man is an Island, Wynnwood/Edgewater community mural project, Miami, FL
ARTIST RESIDENCY/EDUCATION
2025 KALA ART INSTITUTE
2024 PUNTO NARANJA ARTIST RESIDENCY (15th Havana Biennal)
2024 INCAHOOTS ARTIST RESIDENCY
2024 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-BERMUDA
2023 OOLITE ART HOME & AWAY ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM-MASMOCA
2022 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-BELIZE
2020 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-GUADELOUPE
2019 LA CASA DE LA CERAMICA- ARTIST RESIDENCY
2019 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-BELIZE
2018 PROJECTART MIAMI ARTIST RESIDENCY
2018 VERMONT STUDIO CENTER- ARTIST RESIDENCY
2018 SANTA-FE SOCIAL JUSTICE ARTIST RESIDENCY
2018 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-JAMAICA
2017 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-GUADELOUPE
2016 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-SURINAME
2015 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-GUADELOUPE
2015 THE FIELD.ORG ARTIST RESIDENCY
2010 THE FIELD.ORG ARTIST RESIDENCY
2009 - 2015 ARTCENTER/SOUTHFLORIDA
2014 - 2015 r.a.d. @ CANNONBALL
2014 - 2015 CAMILLUS HOUSE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
2014 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-ANTIGUA
2013 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-SURINAME
2012 TALLER CULTURAL LUIS DIAZ ODUARDO- MURAL RESIDENCY
2012 DVCAI-INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE-SURINAME
1985 VERMONT STUDIO CENTER- ARTIST RESIDENCY
1984 PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
1982 PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
1989 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, MFA
1986 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, BFA
1981 FT. LAUDERDALE ART INSTITUTE
TALKS/PANELS/WORKSHOPS
2025 Printmaking workshop, Esperanza Community Center, West Palm Beach
2025 PAMM Hive Hangout Printmaking activation, Perez Art Museum Miami
2025 Local Views at the Art Station: Inked Verses, Perez Art Museum Miami
2024 Visiting Artist Series: Printmaking workshop centered on activism, Broward College
2022 International Cultural Exchange Belize, Under the Shade without a Shadow
2021 Exploring Art Podcast-Interview- Florida International University
2021 Museum Audio Project, Spellman College
2021 DVCAI series, Naming Injustice, Tipping Back | Tilting Forward; 25 years Gone Too Soon
2020 Black Street Art + Black lives Matter, The Heritage Project-an Arsht Center Series
2020 Family First Workshop, Textual Fragments, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture https://youtu.be/1aCgZ9Vp5Kk
2020 Facebook Live event, Rosa Naday Garmendia in Conversation with Meaghan Kent
2020 University West Indies, Museum Virtual Panel Discussion: Monuments in the Caribbean - The Artist's perspective
2020 Live Virtual Local Views at PAMM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmSUUiAsyoE&feature=youtu.be
2020 Miami Beach Urban Studios Live Art Talks, (Live Virtual)
2020 A Tonal Distancing, Conversations of Race & Justice Through Art, DVCAI
2019 Young Artist initiative, visiting artist, Institute of Contemporary Art
2017 Women and the Arts, panel discussion. Memorial ACte, Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
2016 Pamm Teen Arts Council, Artist as Activist
2016 Common Field Miami, Beyond the Fair: Aesthetics and Socially Engaging Art
2016 Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA, Issues of Contemporary Art and World Culture, Language: An Artists’ Perspective, Miami, FL
2016 Galeria Universal, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
PRESS, PUBLICATIONS, CATALOUGES
2025
Festival del Caribe 2025: Un puente cultural que enlaza a Cuba y Curazao - Televisión Cubana
The Creator Award | The 2025 Ellies
https://youtu.be/k_wY9GfEjAA?si=M99EhfVr_uAKhgcF
2024
Meet Rosa Naday Garmendia - Voyage MIA Magazine | Miami City Guide
Power U, Principals of Unity Vol. 6 -Forbidden Pages Zine
2023
Belize: DVCAI International Cultural Exchange: Belize, hardcover catalogue
2022
Catálogo de la 14 Bienal de La Habana, Futuro y Contemporaneidad p. 204
2021
Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, University of Alberta Libraries,
Vol.12, No. 1, 2020: “I know…” Pages 297-304
Rosa Naday Garmendia: Artist Statement and Art Work | Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry (ualberta.ca)
The Charlotte Observer
Sneak peek into the Harvey B. Gantt Center's Intersectionality exhibition, by Joshua Komer
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article244519422.html
The Art of Ritual and Remembrance, Biscayne Times
2020
InterSectionality: Diaspora Art from the Creole City, hard cover and paperback catalogue
2019
Creating transnational, intercultural arts’ interactions: African diasporic dialogues
https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/cpi/index.php/cpi/article/view/29502/21510
"Art and Culture in. Miami/Caribbean: A Vibrant and Influential Sphere of Engagement," The International Review of African American Art Vol.28.2.
Noticias Arte Cubano; Desde la Esquinqa 2019
2018
ARTISTNATOR
http://artistnator.com/rompiendo-el-silencio/
2017
SLUG MAGAZINE
https://www.slugmag.com/art-fashion/future-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/
2016
SOUTHFLORIDA.COM
ARTLURKER- A contemporary art newsletter/blog
http://www.artlurker.com/2016/08/intersectionality-at-moca-north-miami/
ARTISABOUT.COM
http://artisabout.com/2016/08/02/a-conversation-with-rosa-naday-garmendia/
MIAMI HERALD
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/visual-arts/article92622952.html
SMALLFORMAT VOL. V
http://www.artcentersf.org/small-format/
2013
DE WARE TIJD
http://www.dwtonline.com/de-ware-tijd/2013/03/07/uitwisselingsproject-biedt-internationale-kansen-su
2012
Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/art-and-gallery-in-miami/mapping-time-and-space-at-artcenter-south-florida
Eclectic Network Magazine
http://eclecticnetwork.tumblr.com/post/16933812570/artcenter-south-florida-presents-mapping-time-and
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadayart
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosa.n.garmendia
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/@naday63
RELATED PROFESSIONAL WORK
Artist and board member of Diaspora Vibe Cultural Art Incubator 2020 - present
Teaching Artist at Perez Art Museum Miami (Miami Art Museum) 2008 - present