It has been a busy and intense time creating murals all over NYC. Here are some pictures of my largest mural yet. 20,000 sq ft of canvas that took a lot of work, from everyone involved to kind of finish. It is a work in progress...

Co-Created by:
Harborview Terrace Residents under Teaching Artist Laura Alvarez

This Nudge Art installation involves a complete transformation of Harborview Terrace’s outdoor space.Working in partnership with The Public Housing Community Fund and the Harborview Terrace Tenant’s Association, we centered this Nudge Art program around community and belonging. . 
After four weeks of Nudge Art workshops and sessions with a small group of resident leaders, this transformative work of Nudge Art began to take shape. Three larger community-based design forums solidified the design and the messages residents wanted the space to reflect. Harborview is a community made up of differing backgrounds and the various murals and projects reflect this diversity and how the residents wanted the space to bring everyone together as one unit and ultimately showcase pride in their home.
The 20,000 foot installation comprises various areas, recreational spaces, and murals. A refurbished basketball court grounds the far side of the park in community-selected bright shades of pink and teal in a dynamic composition. At the center is a medallion painted by local Hell’s Kitchen artist KoolCat. Adjacent to the basketball court is NYCHA’s first pickleball court, a sport enjoyed by Harborview’s older adult population. Revitalized ping-pong tables and newly installed chess tables add more functionality to the space. New seating areas interwoven with planters filled with native foliage turn the area into a much-requested garden. A ramp has also been added to increase accessibility, allowing the space to welcome everyone.
The murals around the space, both on the asphalt and perimeter walls, truly showcase Harborview’s beliefs. The cornerstone message of every Nudge Art mural - “You Belong” - really resonated with the community, particularly in its cultural diversity. The phrase “You Belong” is featured throughout the space, repeated along the walls in languages spoken throughout Harborview. Another large wall consists of the name “Harborview Terrace,” showcasing the pride the residents take in their community. A set of stairs, formerly used by Alvin Ailey dancers for practice performances, is painted as a rainbow. Besides the steps, as an homage to the area’s theatrical past, the largest mural consists of silhouettes of residents engulfed in music notes, creating a kinetic and energetic environment. 
Harborview Terrace’s transformation is made by and for the community. The installation is about home, belonging, and sharing these emotions with others. The space is activated by bright colors inviting visitors into Harborview’s home, reminding them that they, too, belong.

​Text extracted from the genEquality website. LINK

It is very exciting to start new projects, and even more when it is a big one like this! ​I've been working on with GenEquality, a non-profit on a mission to creatively activate gender-equal and inclusive beliefs and behaviors. We worked with a group of NYCHA residents to create a design for an underutilized space where everyone will feel welcome. 
This week we started the installation of this beauty, a mural in the NYCHA Housing Complex Harborview Terrace in Manhattan. It has a basketball court, pickle ball court, stage/sitting area and lots of murals! You can find all the info in the GenEquality website. Also if you are interested in painting with me, please register and come help!

Mural done in collaboration with BarbituriKills, Valencian Street artist. I just want to promote and destigmatize the act of breastfeeding. If you are able, this is the best milk you can give to your child. Breastfeeding is a necessary act and no one has to ask you to cover your breast or to go somewhere else. They can leave if it is uncomfortable for them... they have to deal with their issues, but not by restricting your rights!

Months ago I was approached by Target to submit a couple of ideas for a mural in a new store they were planning to open in my old neighborhood of Fordham. Just a block away from my last apartment before moving to the Yankee Stadium area.
They liked my ideas and I was chosen to create a painting for the store that was made into a mural. It was a great experience, and not only I was able to create a piece that in my opinion represents The Bronx, but I was also invited to participate in the campaign they launched for the inauguration, with my artwork and in a cool video. 
Overall it was an amazing experience and I am very proud of it!
You can visit the store and the mural at 215 East Fordham Road (BX), and don't forget to take pictures and tag me!!

This past June, ArtBridge, in partnership with NYC nonprofit affordable housing developer CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc. (CHV), is pleased to announce Bronx Communal Spaces, a public art exhibition featuring works by Bronx-based artists Laura Alvarez, Blanka Amezkua, Trevon Blondet, Matthew Burcaw, Dennis RedMoon Darkeem, Carlos Wilfredo Encarnación, and James Martocci at CHV 202nd and 203rd Street — a sustainable, affordable, and supportive housing development in the Bedford Park neighborhood for families, formerly homeless households, seniors, and veterans.
Centered on celebrating the shared spaces that bring Bronxites together and enrich the local community, Bronx Communal Spaces — made possible with financial support from CHV — is part of City Canvas, an initiative of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs that transforms the city’s temporary protective structures into platforms for artwork driven by collaboration between local artists and communities.

If you want to visit the exhibition, you can find it at 261 East 202nd Street and 270 East 203rd Street, The Bronx!

"Nature Quilt" is a mural that represents the multiculturality of The Bronx and the Jerome-Gun Hill area. It is a patchwork of patterns with leaves, flowers, stars, bright colors and eyes representing the diversity of the community. It is designed to bring joy and happiness to the events that will take place in that plaza for a year. It will contrast with the dark asphalt around it and it mirrors Nature the park just across the street.
Created as part of an initiative of the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District to beautify and bring to life an underutilized area, this mural brings some happiness to this corner of the Bronx, making the wait for the bus or your lunch break brighter. 
It was an awesome experience, where we invited the community to some on Sunday to paint and prep the area. The next two days I had some really good help from Monica and Pips. Looking forward the next mural opportunity!

Growing Knowledge (2022)
Bronx Bound Books
I had the honor to paint the Bronx Bound Book Bus. We had been talking about this forever, and it finally happened! It is almost done, only one more day of work and it will be ready. But for now it is better than the white version :) 
Growing Knowledge is a design that wants you to think of a knowledge jungle, books in the shape of flowers that make you grow as a person. Knowledge is Power and everyone deserves the chance of getting it. This bus makes books accessible to all neighborhoods, no matter how far they are!
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This Bookstore on Wheels is owned by Latanya Devaughn. It is a mobile bookstore that travels throughout the borough. Especially to neighborhoods where it is needed the most. The idea of Bronx Bound Books is to be a beautiful bus, traveling throughout The Bronx.“Every neighborhood in The Bronx deserves a bookstore, even if it’s just for one day” --Latanya DeVaughn

Join me for a Volunteer Paint Day! We will start a 1000 sq. feet mural to brighten the neighborhood!

This June 5, I will be starting a new asphalt mural with the Jerome Gun Hill Bid and everyone is welcome to paint!
Come prepared, with your messy clothes, painting skills, a hat and some sunscreen. We will provide water and some light snacks, but there are plenty of businesses to get food around the area.
Go to this link to SIGN UP, You can choose between the 4 shifts and get ready to get your hands dirty!
Once on site, you will be asked to sign a waiver in order to participate.
First come, first served basis.

Since May 2020 The Friendly Fridge Bx Has been helping the community by having free food available 24/7. If people has something to share, they leave it there, if you need something, you can get it. It mutual aid at it's best. Last week, the owner of the space hosting the fridge told them they could paint the gates because it is going to be closed for a little while. We did give it a clean up and a bright new look!
It is located at Broadway and 242 Street in the Bronx.

Give the gift of reading! And be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud, like Maya Angelou said. If you want your copy of “Eggie’s Adventures at Poe Cottage” you better get it now! Just a few hours left to pre-order to get your bundle before the holidays. Rendition to the mural I did during the summer for Uptown Grand Central