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About

Cynthia Alberto
Photo by Argenis Apolonario

Cynthia Alberto is an artist and designer and the founder of the Brooklyn-based weaving and healing arts studio Weaving Hand. Her interdisciplinary practice engages traditional and contemporary weaving techniques through socially engaged, community-centered work. Drawing from textile histories and collective making traditions across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, Alberto approaches weaving as both a material process and a framework for care, resilience, and collective experience.

Her work includes sculpture, performance, and large-scale participatory installations realized in collaboration with cultural institutions, civic organizations, and public spaces. Grounded in artisanal knowledge, material experimentation, and a commitment to a zero-waste ethos, Alberto's practice examines the intersections of weaving and healing, craft and sustainability, and the loom as a foundational cultural and technological form shaping both historical and contemporary artistic practice.

Artist Statement

“Weaving is not only a technical skill or cultural tradition — it is a tactile, meditative process that fosters healing when approached with intention and awareness.”

— Cynthia Alberto

Selected Exhibitions & Performances

2026
Socrates Park FellowshipSocrates Sculpture Park, NY
Upcoming
2026
SanctuaryFridman Gallery, New York, NY
Group Exhibition
2026
First Generation: Woven NarrativesGalerie Shibumi, New York, NY
Upcoming
2025
Woven HistoriesThe Creativity Lab, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NY
Exhibition
2025
Weaving TogetherStand 4 Gallery, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY
Exhibition
2025
Brown Palms, Yellow BalmsSOMArts Culture Center, San Francisco, CA
Biennial
2024
Weaving TogetherSummer Streets, Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal, NY
Activation
2024
Making Matters: Fresh Perspectives in Fine CraftPeters Valley Gallery, Layton, NJ
Exhibition
2023
The Threads We FollowNorth Carolina Museum of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
Exhibition
2023
The Language of LoomsThe Tremaine Gallery, Lakeville, CT
Exhibition
2023
Weaving TogetherLittle Island Park, New York, NY
Activation
2023
Weaving TogetherThe High Line, New York, NY
Activation
2022
Weaving TogetherBrooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Activation
2022
Shifting InstinctThe Ecru Project Gallery, Kansas City, MI
Exhibition
2022
Fragmentary BlueHotchkiss Tremaine Gallery, Lakeville, CT
Exhibition
2021
Solo ExhibitionACE Hotel Brooklyn, NY
Solo
2021
Weaving to HealArtshack Brooklyn, NY
Exhibition
2021
Rites of Passage 20/20 VisionPittsfield, MA
Exhibition
2020
Weaving ActivationCooper Hewitt Design Museum, New York, NY
Activation
2019
Llama — Weaving LlamaShelter Gallery, New York, NY
Exhibition
2019
Techno Love SeriesFridman Gallery, New York, NY
Performance
2019
Llama Series (debut)Ghost Town Saloon, Brooklyn, NY
Exhibition
2018
Technolove SeriesArete Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Performance
2018
Museum of Arts and DesignNew York, NY
Exhibition
2017
Weaving ActivationPhilippine Consulate, New York, NY
Activation
2008
String TheoryUmbrella Arts Gallery, New York, NY
Exhibition

Awards, Grants & Residencies

2025
Artist ResidencyHaystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
2024
Artist ResidencyThe Chapin School, New York, NY
2024
GrantNYC DOT ART, Summer Streets, New York, NY
2023
Artist ResidencyOx-Bow School of the Arts, Saugatuck, MI
2023
Artist ResidencyHaystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
2021
Artist ResidencyArtshack Ceramic Studio, Brooklyn, NY
2021
Artist ResidencyACE Hotel Brooklyn, NY
2021
GrantCenter for Craft, Creativity and Design — Craft Futures, Asheville, NC
2020
Artist ResidencyThe Laundromat Project, Brooklyn, NY
2019
AwardPartnerships to Close the Hoop — Circular Economy, NY
2018
Artist ResidencyMuseum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
2017
Artist Recognition AwardAHRC NYC, New York, NY
2015
AwardAn Inclusive World — USSEA Regional Conference, Brooklyn, NY
2010
AwardInternational Women's Day Celebration, United Nations, NY
2008
Artist ResidencyMuseum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
2007
Artist ResidencyLAND — League Artist Natural Design, New York, NY
2002
AwardDan River Weaving, New York, NY
1998
AwardUSA Art Embassies Program, Jakarta, Indonesia
1997
GrantPollock Krasner Foundation, New York, NY

Teaching, Workshops & Lectures

2025
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2025
Peters Valley School of Craft, Layton, NJ
2025
Bernard & Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, New York, NY
2024
Fridman Gallery, New York, NY
2024
Barnard College Design Center, New York, NY
2024
Peters Valley School of Craft, Layton, NJ
2024
North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem, NC
2023
Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Center, San Diego, CA
2022
Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Deer Isle, ME
2021
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
2021
ACE Hotel Brooklyn, NY
2021
Peters Valley School of Craft, Layton, NJ
2021
Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Deer Isle, ME
2018
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
2017
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
2015
Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA
2014
Queens Museum, Queens, NY

Publications

2024
Present Space Magazine
2023
Vogue Philippines
2023
Tatter Blue Library
2021
This Long Thread (Book)
2021
Architectural Digest, Fall Issue
2020
From the Ground Up, Peters Valley School of Craft (Book)
2019
Craft Therapy — Backstrap Weaving (Video)
2016
Surface Design Magazine, Mending Issue
2014
Cooper Hewitt Design Dictionary (Video)

Education

2002
AAS, Textile Surface Design
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY
1985
BS, Computer Science
Saint Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ

Contact

Email

cynthia@cynthiaalberto.com

Studio

Brooklyn, NY

Instagram

@cynthiaalbertostudio