David Barista is a central Illinois based artist known for creating sporting artworks centered on themes of community connection.  He works in painting, drawing, mixed media collage, printmaking, photography, and sculpture, choosing materials that can contribute to a concept, meaning, or story.

Growing up in south suburban Chicago, Barista learned to play sports from his father who was a collegiate football player.  He has always been influenced by the popularity and the cultural value placed on sharing sporting events with family, friends, and community.  

Barista played soccer competitively on the south side of Chicago at Marist High School.  While in high school and college, he worked for the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department in the south suburbs where he coached, refereed, and coordinated youth and adult sports leagues in 16 inch softball, baseball, soccer, and basketball.  He currently plays adult recreational sports in both soccer and softball.  

His interest in horse racing derives from the tradition and ritual of watching the Kentucky Derby and following the Triple Crown with family and friends.  Using horse racing as a subject in his work, Barista has contributed art making content to popular horse racing YouTube channels including TrustTheProphets and DoublingDown.  His interest in art was nurtured by his family from a young age.  His mother would help him with school projects and take him to the library to check out how-to-draw books.  With the encouragement of his family, he set out to study and become an artist after experiencing success with art in high school.

In 2009, Barista studied painting and drawing at The School of Art Institute of Chicago where he earned his BFA with an emphasis in art education.  His experiences as a teacher and love for learning have inspired his continued growth where he has incorporated technology, printmaking, and photography into his art practice. In addition to teaching, Barista has coached soccer at Heritage Middle School in Summit Illinois and Eisenhower High School in Decatur Illinois. Barista studied silkscreen printing at the Hyde Park Arts Center in Chicago with Elke Clause in 2010.  In 2016 and 2017, Barista studied translanguaging and culturally responsive art education with Paridad and the National Museum of Mexican Art while traveling to and working with printmakers in Oaxaca, Mexico.  

He later refined his printmaking practice at the Carriage House Press located in the former carriage house on the James Millikin Homestead founded by Millikin University.  His participation in a printmaking collective with other Decatur area artists at CHP culminated in an exhibition of their work at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois in 2025.  In 2024, Barista was recognized as a founding member of ThinkWell Makerspace in Decatur, Illinois where he leads community education in silkscreen printing.  After receiving training from the FabFoundation and SOLIDWORKS xDesign, he has incorporated digital fabrication skills into both his fine art and teaching practice using a mobile fab lab kit to output design through vinyl cutting, laser cutting, and 3-D printing.  

In 2025, Barista studied dark room photography at the University of Illinois as part of an art educator micro-residency.  He currently facilitates a community partnership with Brooktree Film Lab and Eisenhower High School in Decatur, Illinois where he teaches full time.  He is an associate member of the American Academy of Equine Art where he studied sculpture with Shelly Hunter in 2025.

David Barista has participated in artist residencies at The University of Illinois and at Château d’ Orquevaux in Champagne-Ardenne, France.  In 2025, Barista served as a curator for the “Hispanic Heritage Art Show” at the David Erlanson Gallery at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois. 

He has received grants from the Illinois Arts Council, The Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, and the Denis Diderot Grant from the Château d’ Orquevaux Artist and Writers Residency in Champagne-Ardenne, France.  In 2024, Barista was a finalist for the Louisiana Derby poster design contest for the FairGrounds RaceCourse in New Orleans.  In 2025, Barista received third prize in The October National juried art exhibition at the Anne Lloyd Gallery at the Madden Arts Center in Decatur, Illinois.  In 2025, Barista’s artwork received first prize for the art educator category at the Perkinson Gallery in Millikin University’s Kirkland Fine Arts Center.  In 2026, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association selected Barista to participate in their gala auction event where he was able to help raise money for FTBOA charities.  

David Barista’s work is represented by Gallery 510 in Decatur, Illinois.  Galleries throughout the country such as The Beverly Arts Center of Chicago, the Bridgeport Art Center, and the David Erlanson Gallery at Richland Community College have exhibited Barista’s work.  His work can be found in public collections including THEJORGELUCEROSTUDYCOLLECTION at the University of Illinois and the Keeneland Library in Lexington, Kentucky.  Barista’s artwork is featured in many private collections around the world.