Isa Rodriguez

My name is Isa Rodriguez. I am a Queer, Venezuelan American artist based in Oklahoma City.

I see creativity as a technology for liberation.

Recent Works:

Here’s what I’m creating in my 2025 residency at Studio School.

Kalaira (Jaguar Drawings). I’m making large scale drawings of jaguars, an animal which holds specific spiritual and cultural significance in Wayuu cosmologies. Although allegedly extinct in the United States, these images are based trail camera footage of jaguars in their native territory, spanning the US-Mexico border.

Spouts and Bridges. I’m using contemporary ceramic techniques to reinterpret “pre-Columbian” gestures, like double-spout-and-bridge vessels (Nazca). By multiplying these gestures on a single pot, I’m creating futuristic forms whose function becomes increasingly complex and symbolic.

Walking with my ancestors. In this piece, I recreate an ancient ceramic leg effigy from the Maracaibo Lake basin, where my ancestors originate. Alone, the artifact represents a tangible link to the creative practices of my ancestors. By creating my own version of the piece, I link my experience to theirs while expressing unique contextual differences. When the pieces are shown together, they compress time and space, creating a united body and creative tradition.

Other Projects:

Practice Practice (ongoing)

I collaborate with Dylan Cale Jones on a community-based project called Practice Practice. We publish accessible resources that support your creative practice.

We have a bi-weekly newsletter, an awesome podcast, and a brand new book! For more information about Practice Practice, visit our website!

Creative Drawing Class (ongoing)

I teach a unique curriculum called Creative Drawing at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s Studio School. Creative Drawing helps you unblock your creativity and embrace your unique style. We cover contemporary drawing techniques using Radical Drawing foundations: (1)Drawing is a verb! (2)Everyone can draw! (3)Your drawing is not “good” or “bad”

Drawing Radical Futures (2023)

Drawing Radical Futures is an interactive drawing exercise commissioned by the Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center for the 2023 ArtNow biennial exhibition. The exhibition, titled “ArtNow: The Soul is a Wanderer”, is based on the poem A Map to the Next World by poet Joy Harjo. My drawing exercise guides visitors as they draw a map to their future.

Draw Every Day This Week (2022)

Draw Every Day This Week is a new mini zine from the Radical Drawing Project. This tiny workbook has big ideas in a small format. It will help you build an everyday drawing practice starting with this week.