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Magdalena Saliba is an artist, activist, and art historian born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, currently practicing in New Orleans, Louisiana. Informed by diligent and ongoing study of Renaissance and contemporary queer and feminist art, Magdalena utilizes photography to create a visual language of agency for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse. By replacing human subjects with metaphorical objects, such as burnt underwear or pierced fruit, any viewer is invited to deeply connect with the work.

As a recent graduate from Tulane University, Magdalena became the first ever Studio Art and Art History major to earn the honors of becoming valedictorian, a direct result of her BFA thesis show “Memory hurts wherever you touch it.” Her knowledge of the history of activism in art, paired with her studio skills, have set Magdalena up for an existence full of learning, educating, and creating change through photography. Magdalena hopes that her work will continue to inspire healing for survivors, and act as a catalyst for institutional change amongst the systems that allow sexual violence to be unjustly tolerated. Magdalena Saliba’s work has been seen in galleries in New Orleans, such as Good Children and Staple Goods.
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Education

Tulane University - New Orleans, Louisiana    2020 - 2024

Majors: BA, Art History;  BFA, Studio Art

Major GPAs: 4.0

Overall GPA: 3.98       

 

Tulane's William Wallace Peery Society Valedictorian Medal Winner          

 International education

IES Milan - Milan, Italy. Fall Semester 2022.

IES Paris - Paris, France. July 2022.

CIEE Rome Tulane - Rome, Italy. June 2021.

Richmond International School- Richmond, England. Fall Semester 2020.

National Geographic Student Expedition- Tokyo, Japan. July 2018. 

The Oxprep Experience - Oxford, UK. July 2017. 

Exhibitions

Slow Open, juror Elvira Castillo at Burnt Canoe Studio. New Orleans, LA.

October - November 2024.

Memory hurts wherever you touch it, Tulane University's Permanent Collection at Howard Tilton Memorial Library. New Orleans, LA.

September 2024 - June 2025

7th Midwest Open, juror Pamela Callahan at Women Made Gallery. Chicago, Illinois.

September 2024.

32nd Annual Emerald Coast National Juried Art Exhibition,
 Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries. Niceville, Florida.

 

September - December 2024.

Beyond the Scars, Digital Group Show, Art Fluent.

August 2024.

Liberated Forms, Group show curated by Patric Stillman at The Studio Door Gallery. San Diego, California.

 

August 2024.

Parts Unknown: 2  Collective curated show at Staple Goods Gallery. New Orleans, Louisiana.
 

July 2024.

Memory hurts wherever you touch it,  BFA Thesis show at the Carroll Gallery, Tulane University. New Orleans, Louisiana. 

April 2024.

Les Salon des Bon Enfants,  group show at The Good Children gallery. New Orleans, Louisiana. Curated by the Good Children gallery members. 

December 2023. 

Carroll Gallery Juried Exhibition group show in the Carroll Gallery. New Orleans, Louisiana. Curated by Cheryl Hayes. 

October-November 2023. 

Masked Violence: Volume II group show in the Carroll Gallery. New Orleans, Louisiana. Curated by Sophi Tomisulo and Laura Richens. 

September-October 2023.

The Last Sweet Bite group show at Paper Machine. New Orleans, Louisiana. Curated by AnnieLaurie Erickson. 

April 2023.

Masked Violence: Volume I group show at Tulane University. New Orleans, Louisiana. Curated by Sophi Tomisulo. 

March 2022. 

Seeing Eyeglass group show at SoLo Eye Care. Chicago, Illinois. Curated by Phyllis Burstein. 

April 2019. 

National Geographic Tokyo Student Expedition Group Show

July 2018.

Professional Experience

Administrative Assistant, Antenna Gallery, New Orleans 

May 2024 - Present

Gallery Assistant, Sibyl Gallery, New Orleans

May 2024 - Present

Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Analog & Digital Photography at Tulane University, New Orleans

December 2023 - May 2024

Audiovisual Archives Intern at the Triennale Milano Museum

May - August 2023

Community Event Coordinator at Paper Machine, New Orleans 

March - May 2023

STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading) New Orleans Tutor     

January - May 2022

Freelance Photography

2018 - Present

Honors & Awards

William Wallace Peery Award for Academic Excellence

Valedictorian award from Tulane’s graduating class.

May 2024.

William Wallace Peery Society 

 Awarded to the top 20 students of Tulane’s graduating class. May 2024.

The Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

May 2024.

Newcomb Art Department’s Outstanding Studio Art Major Award

April 2024.

Global Seal of Biliteracy - Italian

October 2023. 

Tulane's Windgate-Lamar Fellowship Award Nominee

October 2023. 

Nell Pomeroy O’Brien Award for Outstanding Achievement in Two Dimensional Visual Art 

May 2023

Tulane Dean’s List - GPA of 3.7  & higher

Spring Semester 2021, Fall Semester 2021, Spring Semester 2022, Spring Semester 2023

Chi Omega Fraternity Scholarship Recognition -

 GPA of 3.5 & higher

 Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023 

McCormick Foundation High School Media Awards General Feature Story – Excellent Achievement

2019 academic year, Nominated to represent Walter Payton College Prep

The Illinois Journalism Education Association Awards - First Place Best Feature Story

2019 academic year, Nominated to represent Walter Payton College Prep

NASA MicroObservatory Challenge Winner 

Fall 2018. My visual art capturing a planetary nebula was featured on the homepage of the NASA website.

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