Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Leandro Soto Papers
Date(s)
- 1978-2007 (Creation)
Extent
8 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in Cienfuegos, Cuba in 1956, avante garde artist Leandro Soto participated in more than 200 exhibitions and performances at both national and international levels. Majoring in painting and minoring in graphics, he received his degree in Fine Arts from the National School of Art in Havana. In 1982 he obtained a teaching certificate at the Graduate Art Institute at the University of Havana.
Soto formed part of the “Volumen Uno” art movement in Havana in 1981 and was the first performance-installation artist in Cuba. Along with artists such as José Bedia and Carlos Cárdenas, he is considered part of Cuba’s “1980 generation” of artists. In 1988 he moved to Mexico, where he established the interdisciplinary art school El Tesoro de Tamulté for indigenous children of the Maya-Chontal community.
Throughout his artistic career, he demonstrated an interest in religion, ritual, and the mythology of indigenous people. Along with his installations and performance art, Soto designed sets and costumes for theater productions.
From Mexico, Soto went into exile in the United States, teaching at various universities and advising theater groups. He is well known as part of the interdisciplinary and multicultural Latino art movement. He was a Senior Lecturer and Artist in Residence at Arizona State University, West Campus, in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance Department. Soto died in 2022.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Leandro Soto Papers consist primarily of original drawings of set and costume designs, audiovisual materials, posters, and photographs of productions and exhibitions documenting the work of visual and performance artist Leandro Soto. While the collection also includes correspondence, clippings, press releases, manuscripts, and theater and exhibitions programs, the bulk of materials relate to Soto’s artistic production in the United States since 1992.
System of arrangement
The Leandro Soto Papers are organized into two series. Please see the Finding Aid/Inventory section of this guide for more detailed information.
GT refers to Gemtrack location
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Leandro Soto Papers Finding Aid
Preferred citation: Leandro Soto Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- English
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Leandro Soto, 2008
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Selected materials from this collection have been digitized.
https://digitalcollections.library.miami.edu/digital/collection/theater
Related archival materials
Director Information for Leandro Soto. Cuban/Latino Theater Digital Archive. University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Other Information:
Sponsor Note: This collection processed with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Rights Statement:
The text of this webpage is available for modification and reuse under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and the GNU Free Documentation License (unversioned, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts).
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Ximena Valdivia, 2008. Finding aid revised and published online by María R. Estorino, October 2008.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Soto, Leandro, 1956-2022 (Subject)