Exhibit Celebrates 'Hands That Feed'

New High Desert Museum exhibit features vibrant murals, animations, and hand-painted art highlighting the lives of agricultural workers.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 12:00am

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A high-contrast, silkscreen-style illustration featuring a grid of brightly colored, neon-hued farm tools such as shovels, hoes, and pitchforks, conceptually representing the hard work and essential labor of agricultural workers.A vibrant, pop art-inspired celebration of the tools and equipment used by the agricultural workers who sustain our food systems.Boise Today

A new exhibit at the High Desert Museum in Boise, Idaho, titled 'Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer' (Miguel Almeida: The Hands That Feed), features vibrant murals, hand-drawn animations, and freestanding, hand-painted art that offer a window into the daily lives of the people who harvest the fresh fruits and vegetables we bring to our tables. The exhibit, which opens on April 11, 2026, aims to open important conversations about conservation, land use, and agricultural practices through the perspectives of the people who are closely connected to the land.

Why it matters

The exhibit celebrates the often-unseen labor of agricultural workers, prompting visitors to think not only about where our food comes from but also about the people who toil in the fields that sustain us. By centering the experiences of farm workers, the exhibit hopes to foster greater appreciation and understanding of the human stories behind the food production process.

The details

The roughly 1,000-square-foot exhibition space features large-scale murals, hand-painted animations, and a towering hand-painted cutout figure of a worker surrounded by soil. The gallery façade is transformed with bold colors influenced by the artist's visits to Mexico, and ambient audio of field sounds further immerses visitors in the agricultural landscape. One animation follows a farmworker through the rhythms of a workday, while the other traces the path of harvested food into the modern supply chain, contrasting the experiences of agricultural labor with the everyday act of shopping at a grocery store.

  • The exhibit opens on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
  • The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, October 11, 2026.

The players

Miguel Almeida

A 33-year-old first-generation Mexican American artist whose work is inspired by his family's history of farm work and his connection to the land and the people who work it.

Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D.

The Executive Director of the High Desert Museum, who stated that the exhibit brings to life the relationship between people and the landscape, and invites visitors to consider the human stories behind the food production process.

Dustin Cockerham

The senior curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the High Desert Museum, who discovered Almeida's work while on a motorcycle trip in Idaho and contacted the artist to curate the exhibit.

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What they’re saying

“My hope, through this work, is that people make a connection to who is doing the hard work to feed us. I wanted to take it a step further and make sure we aren't just reduced to a 'labor force.' We are also humans, with hopes and dreams who are here out of necessity to provide a better life for our children.”

— Miguel Almeida, Artist

“There's almost a comic-book superhero element to it. It's a very contemporary style, influenced by skateboarding culture while also drawing from Mexican folk traditions. What's compelling is how the artist uses this to illuminate bigger issues-our food systems, the land, agriculture-through the lens of the people whose labor is at the center of it.”

— Dustin Cockerham, Senior Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, High Desert Museum

What’s next

The exhibit will be on display at the High Desert Museum through Sunday, October 11, 2026, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience the artwork and learn about the stories of the agricultural workers who sustain our food systems.

The takeaway

This exhibit celebrates the often-overlooked labor of farm workers, using vibrant and engaging artwork to shed light on the human stories behind the food we consume. By centering the perspectives of those who toil in the fields, the exhibit encourages visitors to develop a deeper appreciation for the people whose hard work puts food on our tables.