Couch to
Geisha
A couch is dismantled and rebuilt into a life-size geisha doll.
The work transforms a repeated act of destruction from Miguel’s childhood into an attempt to understand a behavior that was never fully explained.
Selected Work
Couch to
Constructing Home
Two related works explore how a recognizable form can emerge from fragments of found wood.
PileoToPenta
Through repeated division and recombination, a pile of wood gradually takes the shape of a house.
MesoToPenta
Suspended wood fragments appear scattered until a change in viewpoint brings them into alignment.
The Problem with…
What happens when the words are taken away?
Using archival footage of public figures from the 1970s, language is removed, leaving only interstitial moments, sounds, and micro‑gestures.
Figures once defined by authority, performance, or conviction are transformed through this absence, re‑seen through hesitation, vulnerability, and uncertainty.
The work constructs portraits where meaning emerges between words.
Plays with sound
Admission
Order
A map created through subtraction.
In an abandoned house, Miguel removes plaster from a wall in the order each state was admitted into the United States. As the map takes shape, the structure beneath the wall emerges, connecting ideas of domestic space, national identity and belonging.
About Miguel
Miguel A. Navarro is a Los Angeles–based artist and educator working across sculpture, installation, video and performance. His creative practice explores narrative, identity and transformation, often through materials and images that are dismantled, reassembled or reinterpreted to reveal new meanings.
His experience as a practicing artist shapes his approach to teaching. He brings conceptual thinking and hands-on making together, encouraging students to explore their ideas, challenge assumptions and develop work that reflects their own perspective.
Miguel holds an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and his artistic experience includes residencies at Joshua Tree National Park and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos.
Teaching & Mentorship
Structure and openness
Miguel believes teaching requires a balance between structure and openness. Students need room to explore their ideas, along with clear frameworks for understanding what makes their work effective.
His teaching combines studio practice with conceptual and cultural ideas. Through experimentation, critique and revision, he helps students develop technical skills, articulate their thinking and become more intentional in their creative decisions.
Miguel’s approach is shaped by his own experiences navigating higher education. He understands that students arrive with different levels of preparation, confidence and access to resources. He works to create environments where students feel supported and challenged, with opportunities to develop at their own pace.
A Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, Miguel brings more than two decades of teaching experience across secondary and higher education. He is a National Board Certified teacher and co-founder of ArTES, a visual and performing arts high school created to expand access to arts education.
Portfolio Development
He also works individually with emerging artists and designers, helping them develop their ideas, creative voice and portfolios.
Get in touch
For inquiries about Miguel’s artistic practice, teaching or individual mentorship.