Elzbieta Kaleta

Elżbieta Kaleta was born, raised and educated in Kraków (Cracow), Poland. She earned a Ph.D. in biology and worked in research, also finding time to do scientific illustrations. In 1981, she came to the USA for postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School and later settled with her family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When her son’s illness forced her to stay at home, making art become her therapy and source of income. Suffering from several chronic health problems herself, Elżbieta has been struggling to be able to work in a continuous way all her life.

Elżbieta creates paper cutouts (called WYCINANKI in Polish) using the finest papers available and a pair of scissors. The majority of her work is deeply rooted in Polish folk art style and tradition. Elzbieta’s love of Nature is visible in her designs brimming with fantastic flowers, birds, and animals. Her art often raises spiritual and environmental issues.

Over the years Elżbieta has participated in hundreds art shows, festivals, and exhibitions traveling around the USA and abroad to Japan and China. Her most important solo exhibitions were in Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in Albuquerque, NM and in Clifford Gallery – Parco I in Tokyo, Japan. Her art remains in numerous private and corporate collections including Albuquerque Museum (Albuquerque, NM), Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center (Carlsbad, NM), and Museum of Jintan (Jintan, China).
She has completed two Public Art projects for the city of Albuquerque and two other collaborative projects for Corrales Community Recreational Center (Corrales, NM),and Sandia Mountains National History Museum (Albuquerque, NM). Her art has been featured in numerous publications.