Muriel Hasbun ¡Presente!

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Muriel Hasbun (December 3, 1961 – May 13, 2026), a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in El Salvador. As described in her obituary,

Muriel was an internationally recognized artist and photographer whose intimate photo-based works explore memory, migration, and complex, multivalent identities (including her own Salvadoran, Palestinian, and Jewish heritage). Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums and is part of the collections of institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the International Center of Photography, among others. She also represented El Salvador at the 50th Venice Biennale, and her work is represented by Gabriela Rosso’s RoFa Art Gallery.

As a dedicated artist-educator she has mentored and supported countless artists and students. She spent a significant portion of her teaching career at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, including serving as head of the Photography Department. She was also Professor Emerita at The George Washington University.

We were honored to have Muriel serve as an advisor for our Teaching Central America program. She brought Central American art to classrooms around the D.C. metro area and nationally, offering hands-on workshops for teachers (like one at Polk Elementary School) every time we asked and creating the invaluable laberinto projects website.

Her work was on exhibit International Center of Photography, Muriel Hasbun: Tracing Terruño, curated by Elisabeth Sherman. The exhibition celebrated Hasbun’s dedication to exploring identity and memory, using her personal story to examine collective histories through photography, video, and installation from the late 1980s to the present.

Learn about Muriel’s work in the five-minute film below, from the “270” film series directed by Erina Duganne and produced by ISLAA with creative direction from Julio Grinblatt. “270” is a series of short films created to preserve and amplify the rich contributions of Latin American artists. 

Muriel will be deeply missed. The art she brought to public spaces and to classrooms will carry on her legacy.