Alumni bring soccer to life through art

As the excitement of the FIFA World Cup extends beyond the stadium and into communities across South Florida, a group of FIU alumni are exploring the cultural impact of the world's most popular sport through art.

Now on view at FIU School of Architecture's Miami Beach Urban Studios through August 15, Holding the Line brings together works by FIU alumnae Gianna DiBartolomeo '07, MFA '19, MaryCarmen Leiva '20 and Elyssa Llanso '20, curator Colette Mello MFA '17 and Miami-based artists Tufty and Alissa Alfonso. Drawing from the global culture of soccer, the exhibition examines themes of community, resistance and play while demonstrating how the sport continues to inspire artistic expression.

Holding the Line transforms the Washington Avenue gallery into a space where the energy of the game is translated through painting, animation, sculpture and mixed media, inviting visitors to consider soccer as more than a competition, but as a shared cultural language.

For alumna Gianna DiBartolomeo, that language begins with the field itself. Her mixed-media painting, Touch from Above (Field), layers rich shades of green across a wood panel to evoke the familiar landscape of a soccer pitch while exploring the idea of shared ground.

"My piece, Field, is part of my ongoing Touch from Above series, which explores how small acts can collectively create meaningful change," DiBartolomeo said. "Football (soccer) is one of the few things that transcend language, culture and geography."

Rather than depicting the sport literally, DiBartolomeo uses the field as a metaphor for connection, illustrating how individual contributions come together to create something much larger.

"A match is built from countless individual passes, movements and decisions, just as communities are built through everyday acts of kindness, support and participation," she said. "The work reflects the idea that connection is created collectively, one small action at a time."

Her process mirrors that philosophy. Built through thousands of repetitive, hand-crafted marks, the painting embraces labor-intensive techniques that reinforce its central concept.

"I wanted to evoke the feeling of standing on a field before a game begins, a place filled with anticipation, possibility and shared purpose," she said.

Returning to exhibit at FIU carries added significance for the artist, who earned both her BFA and MFA through CARTA.

"My time at FIU's College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts gave me the framework to develop a practice rooted in experimentation, material exploration and conceptual thinking," DiBartolomeo said. "In many ways, Field celebrates what both FIU and the World Cup represent, people from different backgrounds coming together around a shared experience."

Movement is central in MaryCarmen Leiva's digital animation, Where We Meet. Through fluid, gestural animation, the piece follows the rhythm of play as one action seamlessly transitions into the next. The animation builds toward a celebration that honors the many teams and cultures represented on the world's biggest soccer stage. Using continuous motion and personal symbolism, Leiva explores themes of identity, connection and belonging, emphasizing soccer's ability to unite people across languages and borders.

FIU alumna Elyssa Llanso turns the spotlight toward three of the sport's influential athletes in her painting series, Momentum. Featuring portraits of Sophia Smith Wilson, a 2024 Olympic gold medalist; Naomi Girma, a U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year honoree and one of the youngest players to captain the U.S. Women's National Team; and Briana Scurry, a pioneering goalkeeper and two-time Olympic gold medalist; the work celebrates athletes whose achievements have helped shape the landscape of women's soccer. Each portrait captures a moment of intensity and determination, presenting the athletes as figures of resilience and excellence.

"The portraits celebrate athletes whose performances have challenged expectations and expanded the possibilities of representation and leadership within the game." Llanso said.

Miami-based artist Alissa Alfonso explores the restorative power of the natural world through her Nature's Medicine soft sculpture collection. Crafted from delicately detailed, hand-dyed textile waste, the sculptural works are modeled after traditional medicinal plants, fungi and botanicals. By transforming reclaimed materials into organic forms, Alfonso's work speaks to themes of resilience, renewal and healing, offering a thoughtful counterpoint to the exhibition's exploration of community and collective care. Like the sport itself, her work reflects the interconnected relationships that sustain and strengthen people over time.

Miami-based artist Tufty celebrates the growing visibility and impact of women in sports through Peace, Love, Pitch. Inspired by the passion, determination and unity that define the beautiful game, the work honors the athletes who continue to reshape soccer while challenging long-standing barriers in sport.

As South Florida welcomes the global spotlight of the FIFA World Cup, Holding the Line reminds viewers that soccer's greatest impact extends beyond the final score. Through the vision of FIU alumni and Miami artists, the exhibition celebrates the communities, stories and shared experiences that continue to shape the sport, and the people connected by it. Gallery visits can be scheduled by contacting curator Colette Mello at cmello@fiu.edu