Cleonique Hilsaca

Cleonique Hilsaca is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist from Honduras, based in St. Louis, MO. She earned a BFA in Illustration, minor in Graphic Design, from the Savannah College of Art & Design and an MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture from Washington University in St. Louis. As an educator she serves as a Resident Teaching Artist with the Contemporary Art museum St. Louis and an Adjunct Professor of Design & Visual Art at Maryville University.

Cleonique’s research and creative practice is focused on the field of children’s illustrated literature. She blends painting, illustration, design, cartooning, and animation to bring whimsical narratives to life. Her work is featured in comics, picture books, tabletop games, and gallery exhibitions. Clients include the MTA Arts & Design, Random House Children’s Books, American Red Cross, Sesame Workshop, and Renegade Game Studios. She has been honored with accolades and awards from the St. Louis Independent Comics Expo, the Society of Picture Book Writers and Illustrators, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the American Advertising Awards, and the Society of Illustrators of NY and LA.

Cleonique Hilsaca is an International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL) Fellow for the Counterpublic 2026 Triennial.