Cynthia Cagle is a Xicana artist whose work explores the metaphysical relationship between identity and nature. Using her experiences as a biracial woman, Cynthia creates paintings, collages and murals that investigate themes relating to biology, relationships, generational trauma and the impact of colonialism. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cynthia studied primatology (which included stints at the Gibbon Conservation Center and Museum of Natural History) before receiving her BA in biological anthropology and studio art from Pitzer College. She relocated to Vermont in 2004 with her family.
Leveraging her unique style to reckon with her own story and drawing on her passion for the natural world, Cynthia’s work is activist in nature as well as a deeply personal interrogation of what it means to be of Mexican-American and indigenous ancestry, a woman and mother. She creates her distinctive imagery—a riot of ancestors, birds, animals and color—with oil paint on wood, as well as in other mediums such as ceramics, graphite, watercolor and acrylics. Cynthia’s creative journey captures the magic that connects humans with nature. Her most recent work includes a mural commissioned by Burlington City Arts to commemorate Juneteenth in 2021 and “The Light of Truth Upon Them,” a painting celebrating 100 years of voting rights activism commissioned by the Vermont League of Women Voters.