Hola amig@s!
I went last week to the Community Board Meeting to present the fundraiser and spread the word. Hopefully some good connections will come up from there!

More number updates!!

$1,600 raised
21 donors
25 volunteers and several groups signed up
19 days left
Still needed $5,067

Remember, donations of any amount are welcomed and will be matched (up to $500 per donation) by Con Edison Power Up Neighborhood Match Program, through the IOBY platform.

Please feel free to share the flyer and the links to donate :)

Help me get the funds to repaint the iconic mural I created for Norwood in 2018. With this money, I will create a participatory process to design a new mural and will paint it with the help of volunteers.

This project is eligible for up to $3,000 in match funding (Up to $500 per donor) through ioby's Con Edison Power Up Neighborhood Match! Give today and your donation will be doubled by Con Edison (up to $500 per donor).
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In 2018 I was lucky to paint an iconic mural in the Norwood section of the Bronx, with the help of some neighbors, Artbridge and the Council Member. It was defaced a few years after we painted it, and after months trying to get funding with no luck, I decided to raise my own money to give the wall new life. 
I want to create a participatory process to engage the community so we imagine another mural that the neighborhood identify with. 

Photo by Síle Moloney, Norwood News ​

I had the opportunity to create another mural for Uptown Grand Central, in Harlem. If you want to check out my "Pachamama" you can head to 125th Street, between Lexinton and 3rd Avenue.

Be a Rainbow
I finished a mural for Phipps Neighborhoods at West Farms. I created the outlines and got help to fill out the background by a group of volunteers. I love making our neighborhood brighter!!!

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!