Balam Soto
New Media Artist
Interactive Art Installations | Murals | Video | Performance
Honors and Awards
2012
• Recipient of the Business Development Grant for Innovative Entrepreneurs, Hartford, CT
• Winner of 2 “Editor’s Choice” Ribbons at New York Maker Faire, NY Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
• Received second citation from the Governor of Rhode Island
2011
• Received citation from the Governor of Rhode Island
2010
• Winner of “Editor’s Choice” Award at New York Maker Faire, NY Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
• Recipient of the Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant, Hartford, Connecticut
• Massachusetts Governor and Lt. Governor presented “Governor’s Citation”
• Attleboro, Massachusetts Mayor presented “Certificate of Recognition”
• Solidarity Chapina Foundation presented “Certificate of Recognition”
2009
• Golden Latino Award for Arts & Culture in Connecticut
o City of Hartford Mayor presented the award and an “Official Citation . . . in recognition of [Balam’s] outstanding contribution in art”
o Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell sent an “Official Statement” of congratulations
o Connecticut State Treasurer Denise Nappier sent a “Public Leadership Citation”
• Co-recipient of a project grant from the Westchester Arts Council, White Plains, NY
• Guatemalan Consul in Rhode Island presented official thank you for Balam’s support
• Rhode Island Governor “Extends His Greetings and Appreciation”
2008
• Guatemalan National Congress awarded a “Diploma of Recognition” and the title of “Maestro,” [Master Artist]
• Guatemalan Cultural Office in New York presented award for Balam's “outstanding artistic career in the visual arts”
• Guatemalan Consul in New York sent a “Diploma of Recognition”
2006 Scholarship Recipient, Arte Inc., New Haven, CT
2005 October Artist of the Month, Liquitex Artist Materials
Solo Exhibitions
2012
• Connecticut Culture Gallery, Bradley International Airport, Windsor, CT
2011
• "time analysis", Pump House Gallery, Hartford, CT
2010
• “Digital Transition” Augusta Savage Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
• Guatemala Consulate, Providence, RI
• “Re.invent”
o West Charleston Library, Las Vegas, NV, 2010
o Sahara West Library, Las Vegas, NV, 2009
• “Immigrant”, Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT
2009
• “e-voluciòn: del arte guatemalteco” [“e-volution: of guatemalan art”] Miraflores Museum, Guatemala City, Guatemala
• “2012 Interact” Colo-Colo Gallery, New Bedford, MA
• “Guatemalan Art Beyond Borders” City Hall, Providence, RI
• Guatemalan Consulate, Providence, RI
• “Tzolkin 0.1: An Interactive Exploration of the Mayan Calendar” Charter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford, CT
• “Tzolkin 0.1: Version 2” Director’s Gallery, Hartford, CT
2008
• “Solo: Myth 0.1”, Colo Colo Gallery, New Bedford, MA
• “Origins”, Latins in the Borough Art Gallery, Stonington, CT
• Hartford Hospital Gallery, Hartford, CT
• “Perceptual,” Director’s Gallery, Hartford, CT
2007
• “Ofrenda 2: A Day of the Dead Installation,” Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT
• “A Rainforest of Color,” The Art Station, Hartford, CT
2006
• “Ancient Voices,” ETC Gallery, Hartford, CT
• “Mystic Within,” Pegasus Gallery, Middlesex Community College, Middletown,CT
• “Realms of Color,” Exposure Ltd., Manchester, CT
2005
• “Cultural Spirit”, Director’s Gallery, Hartford, CT
• "Mysticism," Charter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford, CT
• La Paloma Sabanera, Hartford, CT
• Webster Bank, New Haven, CT
• Kafe, New Haven, CT
2004 "Fifth Sun," Wethersfield Public Library, Wethersfield, CT
1998 "Misticismo," DeSales Hall Ballroom, Hartford, CT
Group Exhibitions
2013
• "Sonic Landscapes", Science Museum Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK
2012
• "Art Controller", New York Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
My installation was added as an interactive, hands on exhibit
• "File Rio 2012", Art Galery of Oi Futuro - Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• "World Maker Faire", New York Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
• “DysTorpia Media Series", Fluid New Media Lab, Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
• "Correlacion Ilusoria", Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY
• “Envision Fest", Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT
• "Ensemble", The Russian Lady, Hartford, CT
• “Alive with History” Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Hartford, CT, since 2006
• Movement Museum, online museum: Link
2011
• "Day of the Dead", El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY
• "Maker Faire", New York Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
• "Strata Mini Maker Faire" Strata Conference: Making Data Work, New York Hilton, New York, NY
• FILE - Electronic Language International Festival, SESI Art Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• “Subversive Technologies”, Toronto Free Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• "Flip the Switch: A Night of Music, Media and Mayhem", 3LD Arts and Technology Center, Manhattan, NY
• "Phoenix Art After Hours", Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
• "Billboard Art Project", Route 222, Reading, PA
• "Future Tense Billboards", Hartford, CT Billboard
• "Traveling State: Celebrating Diversity of Art", Warwick Museum of Art, Warwick, RI
• "The 10th State Latin American Visual Arts Exhibit", Atrium Gallery, Providence, RI
• Connecticut Cinematic Celebration, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
• "Celebramos: A Latino Community Exhibition", City Hall, Providence, RI
• UCONN Law School, Hartford, CT
• Open Studio Hartford, annual participation since 2004
2010
• “Subversive Manipulations of Technology”, aluCine Latin Media Festival, Toronto, Canada
• “Art and Technology Corridor at the Three Rivers Arts Festival” Pittsburgh Technology Council, Pittsburgh, PA
• “Maker Faire,” The New York Hall of Science Museum, Queens, NY
• Guatemala Consul, Los Angeles, CA
• “Celebrating Diversity” Attleboro Museum, Attleboro, MA
• “3er Mayan Festival” Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
• “Immigrants’ Art Exhibit”
o CUNY Law School, Queens, NY, 2010
o Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, Long Branch, NJ, 2010
o Rio II Gallery, New York, NY, 2009
o Arts Horizons LeRoy Neiman Art Center, New York, NY, 2009
o Suffolk County Community College, Long Island, NY, 2009
o American Friends Service Committee, Newark, NJ, 2009
o South Ocean Art Gallery, Freeport, NY, 2009
• “Customs and Traditions of Guatemala” Westchester Arts Council Gallery, White Plains, NY
• “ Multicultural Expressions” Farmington Library, Farmington, CT
• “Global Online Event” Interactive online group show located on facebook.com
2009
• “AmericAura”
o Centre Cultural, Brussels, Belgium, 2009
o Teatro Cesare Volta (digital images), Pavia, Italy, 2009
o “AfricAura”, National Library of Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa, 2008
o Augusta Savage Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2007
• “Day of the Dead: Art and Culture in the Americas” Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art, Scranton, PA
• “Media Fluid, Art and Technology” Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
• “Media Lounge, Art and Technology” Room 404 Media, Brooklyn, NY
• “Sensorial” Colo-Colo Gallery, New Bedford, MA
• “Something Old- Something New”, 8TH Annual State Latin American Visual Arts Exhibit Atrium Gallery, Providence, RI
• “Museum After Dark Summer Art Auction”, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
• Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT 2006 - 2009
2008
• “Hispanic Heritage Art Show, Elmhurst Hospital, Queens, NY, Curated by the Queens Museum of Art
• “Ancestors: A Day of the Dead Celebration”, Institute for Community Research, Hartford, CT, Organized and curated by Balam Soto
• "The Latin Perpective... a touch of Contemporary Art," New Brit. Art League, New Britain, CT, Curated by Latins in the Borough Art Gallery
• “Forgeries,” Charter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford, CT, Art auction fundraiser
• “Menage A7,” New Haven, CT
2007
• "Interwoven," ArtSpace Gallery, Hartford, CT, Curated, organized and participated in by Balam Soto
o 2007: “Interwoven 3: Avant-Garde”
o 2006: “Interwoven 2”
o 2005: “Interwoven: Cultural Identity of 3 Latino Artists”
• "Mùsica! Mùsica! Mùsica”, Arte Inc., New Haven, CT
• The Pump House, Hartford, CT
• Farmington Unity Day Cultural Festival, Farmington, CT
• “Apartment # __ ,” ArtSpace Gallery, Hartford, CT
• “Ofrendas: A Day of the Dead Celebration,” Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT, Organized, curated and participated in by Balam Soto
2006
• “no.mad,” Park Street, Hartford, CT
• “Ancestral Spirits,” Director’s Gallery, Hartford, CT
• “Inaugural Opening,” The Art Station, Hartford, CT
• “Holiday Show,” Farmington Valley Arts Center, Farmington, CT
• “Jazz Up the House,” Hartford, CT
2005
• "Through the Eyes of Culture and Tradition," Capitol Community College, Hartford, CT
• “Dia de los Muertos,” Rocking Horse Cafe, New York, NY
• “Winter Treasures,” Exposure Ltd. Art & Framing, Manchester, CT
• Oddfellows Playhouse, Middletown, CT
1998 – 2000 "Individual Concerns," Gallery of Social and Political Art, Boston, MA
1999 "Violence and Society," Gallery of Social and Political Art, Boston, MA
1998
• Barnes & Noble, Farmington, CT
• City Store, Hartford, CT
1991 University of San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Performances
2010
• “Subversive Manipulations of Technology”, aluCine Latin Media Festival, Toronto, Canada, Celebrated Latino Artists' use of Art and Technology
• “Subversive Manipulations of Technology”, Billings Forge, Hartford, CT, Sponsored by The Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Hartford
• “The Circuit: Beta Version”, The Tank, New York City, NY
• Attleboro Museum, Attleboro, MA
Public Works
2010
• Westchester Arts Council and HAGUA, Port Chester, NY
2008
• Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Hartford, CT
2007
• Montessori School of Greater Hartford, West Hartford, CT
• Artists Collective, Hartford, CT
• Hartford Public Library and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood, Hartford, CT
• Office of Cultural Affairs for the city of Hartford, CT
2006
• Hartford Public Library and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood, Hartford, CT
• Cross-Cultural Academy of Arts and Technology, Hartford, CT
1993
• University of San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Collections
• Artists Collective, Hartford, Connecticut
• Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Hartford, Connecticut
• City of Hartford, Connecticut, Pope Park Community Center
• Cross-Cultural Academy of Arts and Technology, Hartford, Connecticut
• Guatemala Consulate, Rhode Island
• HAGUA, Port Chester, New York
• Hartford Public Library, Hartford, Connecticut
• Montessori School of Greater Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut
• Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Hartford, Connecticut
• Patrimonio Art Collection, Government of Guatemala
Balam combines art and technology to create works that explore the relationship between individuals, society and technology.