The Hands That Feed: New Art Exhibit At Museum Highlights Farm Workers; Bold Murals, Animation, And Immersive Experiences Reveal The People Whose Work Brings Food From The Field To Our Tables (Photo) - 04/06/26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 6, 2026  

BEND, OR — A new exhibit at the High Desert Museum features vibrant murals, hand-drawn animations and freestanding, hand-painted art that offer a window into the daily lives of the people who harvest the fresh fruits and vegetables we bring to our tables. Opening Saturday, April 11, Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer (Miguel Almeida: The Hands That Feed) portrays everyday workers and community figures whose labor often goes unseen. 

Almeida, 33, comes from a long line of farm workers, a primary source of his artistic inspiration. Growing up amid the fertile fields of the Owyhee and Snake River valleys of Idaho—where he worked alongside his mother during some summers—shaped his connection to the land and the people who work it, themes central to the murals he creates around Boise, Idaho, where he is based.  

The art of this first-generation Mexican American prompts visitors to think not only about where our food comes from but also about the people who labor in the fields that sustain us. 

“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 Museum 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 exhibition aims to open important conversations about conservation, land use, and agricultural practices through the perspectives of the people who are closely connected to the land.” 

The exhibition entrance signals a shift into this world. The gallery façade is transformed with bold color—pinks, teals, yellows and purples influenced by the artist’s visits to Mexico and fascination with the country on everything from architecture to pastries. Inside the roughly 1,000-square-foot space, large-scale murals anchor the gallery. 

At the center of the gallery, a hand-painted cutout figure of a worker more than 10 feet tall is surrounded by soil. The scent of the earth and ambient audio of field sounds further immerse visitors in that landscape. On either side of the gallery, hand-painted animations play. One follows a farmworker through the rhythms of a workday—from family life to the fields in all kinds of weather. The other traces the path of harvested food into the modern supply chain, contrasting the experiences of agricultural labor with the everyday act of shopping at a grocery store. 

“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 who are here out of necessity to provide a better life for our children.” 

The exhibition, translated into Spanish by Almeida, came about after Dustin Cockerham, Senior Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the Museum, discovered Almeida’s work while on a motorcycle trip in Idaho. Outside of Boise, he was struck by the smell of onions and produce from nearby fields when a mural caught his attention—its bold colors and stylized figures standing out against the working farmland. He began seeing more murals around the city, discovered it was the same artist, and contacted him. 

“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. What’s compelling is how the artist uses this to illuminate bigger issues—our food systems, the land, agriculture—through the lens of the people whose labor is at the center of it.”   

Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer (Miguel Almeida: The Hands That Feed) is open through Sunday, October 11. It is made possible by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, with support from Central Oregon Radiology Associates. 

ABOUT THE MUSEUM:  

The HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2025 recipient of the Autry Public History Prize from the Western History Association and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.  

###