The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, has unveiled a new solo exhibition titled "Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer" (The Hands That Feed). The show features large-scale murals, hand-drawn animations, and a 10-foot-tall cutout figure of a farmworker surrounded by soil and ambient field sounds. Drawing from his own experience working in the fields of Idaho, the first-generation Mexican American artist uses a vibrant, contemporary style influenced by skateboarding culture and Mexican folk traditions to depict the daily lives of agricultural laborers.
This exhibition is significant for its effort to humanize the often-invisible workforce behind the global food supply chain. By centering the stories of farmworkers within a museum context, the project bridges the gap between agricultural labor and art, prompting critical dialogue on land use, conservation, and social equity. The show also highlights the museum's commitment to regional storytelling, having been curated after the museum's senior curator discovered Almeida’s public murals while traveling through Idaho.