Yen Ospina
Yen Ospina is a Colombian-American artist and community organizer based in Ithaca, New York, who specializes in murals. She is a self-taught artist who has sought inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement to explore social justice and activist themes.[1] Ospina is best known for painting community-engaged murals, but she also works in mixed media and creates digital prints and zines. At least ten of her murals appear in public and commercial spaces in Ithaca, NY.[2] Notably, in 2020, she was commissioned to paint a "Get Out the Vote" mural in the downtown area.[3] The following year, Ospina's work was selected as a feature mural in the Ithaca Sciencenter mural project.[4] Voted Ithaca's best visual artist in 2021 and 2022,[5] Ospina focuses on developing local connections to grow business for artwork in Central New York State.[6] In 2024, Ospina was commended for her work in New York State's southern tier promoting BIPOC and Latino artists. She had been newly elected president of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, New York.[7] As president of the Association, she has led efforts to build community through arts events, such as an annual Heritage Fiesta.[8] She uses social media in addition to word-of-mouth communication to reach out to members of the Latine community and bring them together through the arts[8]. In particular, Ospina promotes the work of BIPOC artists through the "Orozco Gallery," a curatorial organization she developed. The Orozco Gallery develops exhibitions, such as "Present Conversations II: Showcasing Talent of BIPOC Artists" (2023 and 2024), and events for showcasing artwork created by people of color and coordinating arts events in the Ithaca area.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Whitman, Arthur (21 Jan 2020). "Self-Made: Local shows display Yen Ospina's digital work". Ithaca.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ "Yen Ospina". Ithaca Murals. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Lamb, Anna (29 Oct 2020). "Local artists create murals to get out the vote". The Ithaca Voice. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Murals at the Sciencenter!". Ithaca Murals. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Levine, Mark (5 Oct 2022). "Best of Ithaca". Ithaca.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Wickham, Jessica (24 March 2021). "Women business leaders show resilience despite pandemic". Tompkins Weekly. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b Bermudez, Crystal (2 October 2024). "National Hispanic Heritage Month: Resilience Through Art and Community". WENY News. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Lincke, Kai (3 Oct 2024). "Latino Civic Association's Hispanic Heritage Month Events Build Community". ithaca.com. Retrieved 11 Nov 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)