SCAD deFINE ART artist talks: Diedrick Brackens and Raul De Lara

Join artists Diedrick Brackens and Raul De Lara for two artist talks as they each speak on their new exhibitions, presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2025. Hear more from Brackens about his weaving practice as he discusses the cosmic allegories, historical narratives, and autobiographical memories imbued in his compelling tapestries. De Lara will share the stories, cultural rituals, and family heritage embodied in his uncanny, playful sculptures, fostering a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience.

About the artists
Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989, Mexia, Texas) is a Los Angeles-based textile artist. Brackens received his M.F.A. from California College of the Arts, San Francisco. His work is held in the permanent collections of various institutions, including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others. Brackens is the recipient of the Joyce Alexander Wein Prize, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, the American Craft Council Emerging Voices Award, and a United States Artists Fellowship.

New York-based sculptor Raul De Lara (b. 1991, Sinaloa, México) explores the emotive and storytelling potential of woodworking to reflect on ideas of nationality, queer identity, and his experience as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. De Lara received his M.F.A. in sculpture and extended media from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of Texas at Austin. De Lara has presented works at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, Portland; the Immigrant Artist Biennial, New York; Alexander Berggruen, New York; Honor Fraser, Los Angeles; and The Hole, New York. He has forthcoming projects at The Contemporary Austin, Texas, and the Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona. Select honors include the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, Art in America’s “New Talent” Top 20 Artists to Watch, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Craft, the Penland Winter Residency Distinguished Fellowship, the Silver Art Projects Residency, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Open Studio Residency, and the Ox-Bow School of Art Fellowship, among others.

This event is free and open to the public and presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2025.