Samu Cortez is from La Loma, Moroleón, Guanajuato a quiet town in the hills and grounded in the spirit of Purépecha ancestors. In 2002, they migrated with their family to Delaware, United States where their artistic journey began. Working across a diverse range of mediums—including installation, sculpture, and performance—Samu investigates the layered intersections of identity, ritual, and social connection. Through performance, they create spaces for collective emotional release, surfacing the often-suppressed feelings that shape our focus, clarity, and direction.

Samu earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. Their work has been featured in publications such as San Francisco Magazine and Feminine Moments: Queer Feminist Art Worldwide, and exhibited at institutions including Root Division, The Queens Museum, Syracuse University, and Galería de la Raza, among others.

Samu is the co-founder of Casa-Huate, a creative space built in partnership with their wife, dedicated to fostering community through co-creative projects. At the heart of Casa-Huate is trueque—the ancestral practice of exchanging stories, knowledge, and creativity. 

Samu is also the co-founder of Aguas Migrantes, a Bay Area-based collective of migrant artist-educators whose work is deeply rooted in the lands they come from and the communities they belong to. Through creative expression and ancestral knowledge, the collective honors identity while nurturing spaces for shared learning, growth, and transformation.

Based in the Bay Area of Northern California, Samu balances their artistic practice with their role as Chair of the Technical Arts Department at Lick-Wilmerding High School. There, they teach courses like “Design and Technology” and “3D Printing and Parametric Design,” guiding students through the intersections of art, craft, community, and innovation. Through their teaching, Samu empowers the next generation of makers to think critically, collaborate creatively, and build with purpose.

At the core of Samu’s work is a deep commitment to community. Wherever they go, they build connections, share stories, and shine some light into the invisible threads that connect us.