Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, honored 38 outstanding public arts projects created in 2015 through the Public Art Network(PAN) Year in Review program, the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling public art.
I am excited to share that my project “Familias Separadas” projectwas chosen from 260 entries across the country and recognized at Americans for the Arts’ 2016 Annual Convention in Boston. View the announcement here.
“Familias Separadas” project is a series of temporary site-specific public art works mark locations and documents stories of immigrant families affected by deportations in the city of Philadelphia. In October 2015, I unveiled several temporary large-scale site-specific public art works in Philadelphia that included the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency , Compass Rose at the City Hall Courtyard, Love Park, and the 9th Street Market.
For over a year and a half, I worked with undocumented youth and families in partnership with Juntos. My project was highlighted in the Mural Arts Program's Open Source exhibition. This is the first time a local artist collaborating with the Mural Arts Program receives this honor.
Telling these stories is crucial especially during the current national anti-immigrant climate. Receiving this recognition is so valuable because it honors the importance of presenting in public spaces the stories of our undocumented immigrant communities that are often unheard in our city. The 38 public art works selected for the PAN Year in Review can be seen on this page.
