OUR ARTISTS
KHILALI ARTS
'Khilali is a self taught multifaceted artist from the South Bronx. She takes great inspiration from Mexican painter Frida Khalo. Known for her bold colors and creation of her own style, Khalo challenged societal norms and pushed boundaries with her art. Khilali’s approach to art is to bring a voice to unarticulated or misunderstood topics of conversation, her main focus being mental health. Using her knowledge of psychology and passion for art she strives to create pieces which speak to emotions individually, while also opening up the conversation for others to relate. Normalizing mental health by spreading awareness and bringing acceptance is the ultimate goal. When she’s not pushing boundaries with her art, she’s having fun connecting with her customers through commissions, custom work, and murals.'
JEFTE CASTILLO
'A Latino creative from New York, born and raised in the Bronx, who’s also known as KID NERD. After finishing his Bachelor's degree in Graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he’s currently working at Complex Networks as a senior designer/animator.
Jefte tells stories with a combination of graphic and motion design of his concepts. Through his design studio Kidnerd Grafx, he helps bring to life other people's ideas with logos, branding & motion design so they too can tell their stories.'
BRANDEN RODRIGUEZ
IG: @br163artwork
'South Bronx native, Branden Rodriguez, is a self-taught street artist exploring his visual memory of Puerto Rico - Colorful architecture, thick blue skies and nature. After pursuing his BFA from FIT, he explored different mediums using classical techniques. He pairs spray paint and brush strokes, creating pieces that are reflective of the natural fluidity of Puerto Rico and the masculine ruggedness of NYC.'
NATALIA ALVEREZ PLAUD
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'Natalia always loved art & had a very creative mind as a child, but certain expressions were shut down by family, and even an art teacher. After experiencing the loss of her mother as a young adult, Natalia was depressed and super stressed with new responsibilities. Natalia figured she give her old love another try, picking up a paint brush to help her out of that depression and connect with her inner child, becoming one of the best decisions she made for my mental health. Natalia finally had an outlet to express her feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Through her experiences, Natalia believes although everyone may not be an "artist", everyone benefits from art.'
SEAN COLLETTI
'Whether the day is sunny or cloudy, Sean creates with his own weather. Acrylic paint, crayon, pen, pencil, sharpie, oil paint, oil stick, glue, glitter keeps Sean grounded and present. Art has always been there for him since he was young. Sean turned his back on art for years, and it waited patiently for him. Now Sean is ready for his creations to be shared with the world. Sean is a bi-polar painter, poet, musician and dreamer.'
ELWING SUONG GONZALEZ
IG: @elwingbling
'Elwing is an educator, historian, and artist. She combines these together on her Instagram page where she posts her drawings and paintings coupled with her writings to share her experiences with trauma, coping, healing, and thriving. Elwing also produces work that melds her dedication to social justice and history to inner work, creating a continuum between self-healing & social healing, protection & defense of the self, as well as the sacred from within, & through/with social change.'
CHERILYN SANTIAGO
'Cherilyn Santiago is a New York based artist who’s medium is mainly acrylic paint. After many years of pencil drawings she discovered her love for painting in particular as an art major at the High School of Fashion Industries. In college she received a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and offered her creative talents to the workplace as a form of art therapy for those who were interested. She went on to become an artist instructor, teaching at paint and sips and hosting private paint events as she ultimately launched her online gallery to exhibit her own personal work. Her website is in honor of her birth month and the season where she feels the most inspired.'
ERIC JOHNSON
'Eric always had an eye for photography starting at a young age, but his eyes weren’t focused on it being a career choice until he enrolled in a photography course at school. Since making that decision, Eric has been determined to achieve his dream of becoming a successful photographer. Eric is drawn to photographing things that catch the eye. From a person, to an object, a sunset, a landscape, Eric prides myself in the way he is able to mentally visualize the picture before it is taken; analyzing everything within the frame from the subject, the lighting, to the emotion that could be portrayed within the finished work. Photography has shaped the way Eric views the world, and day-to-day life. It has helped him see everything with a new, meaningful perspective.'
SACHIN DURGAM
‘Growing up fascinated by the beauty of the natural world, Sachin became obsessed with drawing plants and animals at a young age. This interest soon translated to skill and passion, creating the avid artist he is today. Sachin is now trying to advocate for mental health awareness by delineating mental disorders and emotions by making art, combining symbolism and his personal interests. He has formed a partnership with the helpline, 2NDFLOOR, taking the initiative to expand consciousness towards mental health. Taking inspiration from music, media, and his friends, Sachin bridges the gap between his many interests in an artistic way while also incorporating his South Asian heritage. Creating art has become a coping mechanism and form of expression for him, and he hopes to spread this imaginative essence.’
FRANK SEPULVEDA
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'Frank Sepulveda is a self taught jack of all trades. After experimenting in the arts, from modeling, to music, his passion for photography began In 1983, when he purchased a Canon AE1 and a correspondence course from the New York Institute of Photography. Frank likes to photograph wildlife and nature in his free time and hopes for others to take a closer look at their environment.'
DANNY PERALTA
IG:@dannykodak/@dannyrperalta
'Danny R. Peralta was born and raised in New York City. He uses multiple mediums to tell stories, examine relationships and elicit dialogue. He has also been leading community development via the arts and culture for over 20 years and currently serves as the Executive Director of En Foco. He earned a BA from NYU (‘00) and an MFA from Bard-ICP (‘20). Danny lives in the Bronx with his family, who inspire his every endeavor.'
LILLY NIN
FB - Lilly Justina Nin
'Lilly Nin was born in Mayagüez Puerto Rico and moved to New York when she was ten. For the first two years she lived in the Bronx then moved to Rockland County. One thing that Lilly misses most about her country is nature, the beaches, the mountains, and animals. She tends to show that in her paintings. Lilly is self-taught, and only began on this journey due to a few chronic conditions that left her unable to work after a 27 year career. She believes that art is therapy for emotional and physical healing, in all it's forms, it is part of hers.'
AVIVA Y SAKOLSKY
'Making art is a driving force in Aviva’s life; She creates to connect more deeply with herself and others. Sometimes when she sees an image that strikes her, Aviva will photograph it for future reference, but frequently the images come from within. Oftentimes Aviva will approach the work from the perspective of reflection and personal restoration of mind and spirit. She enjoys studying and delighting in objects and places that bring a sense of calm, beauty and serenity, on other occasions she is purposefully expressing a question or visualizing a quest. There are times when Aviva wants to speak to the “self” living inside all of us by illuminating a feeling or point of view she hopes to communicate, and share with others.'
AMY KANAREK
'Amy Kanarek designs unique handwoven jewelry from glass beads, natural stones, freshwater pearls and crystal. Her style is elegant and very wearable for everyday as well as special occasions. She customizes her designs, so that all sizes are included, and has unique gift options for women and men as well.'
KACEY WARBRICK
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'Kacey is a 25 year old trans and disabled emerging artist living and working in the mid-Hudson Valley, and recently received their BS in Visual Arts from SUNY New Paltz in 2022. They were born here in Rockland County and has been devoted to art and creativity from an early age. As someone who is disabled, queer and trans, their work is very personal and meditative about their experiences navigating the world in their body. Much of what being an artist means is recording what it is like to live in a particular point of time, and what a strange time it is. We have never before had so much technology and potential to create a healthy, equitable world and yet have never squandered it so badly and hurt so many in the pursuit of profit. Kacey’s colorful work is about trying to reckon with these feelings that come from living in this age of incredible disconnect between what we have and what we deserve. To Kacey, it is important to create artwork that calls out and pokes fun at the colonized world systems we live under, but also maintains hope and love for the better world that is possible.'
FRANKLIN PEREIRA DA SILVA
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'Franklin is a Brazilian artist. In his work, he explores the relationship of nature, humans, society, and issues that are present in everyday life, exploring how each of them is responsible for the other and how they play great influence in each others existence through disturbances and fragmentation’s. Franklin started to draw when he was 11 years. When he first started to explore his talents, he put particular emphasizes on the surrealist movement. From an early age, he observed nature and its peculiarities. Over time, he tried to utilize his art in a way to understand and explore tiredness and human emotions. He graduated from Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas with a degree in Visual Arts. In his art he uses charcoal, ink, oil, woodcut/linoleum gravure and watercolor. Franklin worked at Sesc São Paulo as an art instructor and resident artist where he explored and developed a diverse array of art related activities to engage the community. He created string art workshops for children and teens where he introduced a conversation between woodcutting / linoleogravure and drawing with various tools to highlight string art. Franklin created the installation 'Lines and Shapes' recently feature at Sesc in 2018. His work was shown at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, Itu's Art's Center and the Santana de Parnaiba's Museum, among others.'