"Artivism" The Power of Art to Bring Social Change: Rosalia Torres-Weiner

07/15/24 • 59 min

Rosalia Torres-Weiner is an artist, activist, and community leader in Charlotte, NC. Her art captures the themes, colors, and rich symbolism of her native home of Mexico. In 2010, Rosalia shifted the focus of her work from commercial art to art activism, after witnessing the repeated injustices and dysfunction of our immigration system. Her work is featured in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum and has been exhibited in venues including the McColl Center for Arts and Innovation, Levine Museum of the New South, the City of Raleigh Museum, the Latin American Center for Arts Gallery, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Mexican Cultural Institute at the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. and many other prestigious venues.

Her public murals celebrate the rich history as well as the changing demographics of the South. She also uses her art to document social conditions and to raise awareness about issues that are affecting immigrant communities such as family separation, access to public education, racism and moving beyond common stereotypes.

Through her Red Calaca Mobile Art Studio, a 24-foot “Art Truck” she takes the arts directly to people in underserved areas in Charlotte.

Stay tuned to hear Rosalia’s inspiring story and all about the important work she is doing to bring positive change to her community and beyond. Rosalia is joined by her husband Ben Weiner, who is intricately involved in facilitating Rosalia’s work. They will share their philosophies on a variety of aspects about art, community, and social impact. They will tell us about her latest mural in Hendersonville, NC, titled “Unity in Bloom.” And Rosalia will talk about her feelings about Artificial Intelligence, which might surprise you.

Through her Red Calaca Mobile Art Studio, a 24-foot “Art Truck” she takes the arts directly to people in underserved areas in Charlotte.

Previous Episode

The Story of "Youthful Journey Up 7th Avenue" Mural by Billy Smith

This week’s guest is Billy Smith, an accomplished artist from Brevard, NC. Billy has painted murals all over Western NC. He is the president of the Transylvania County Arts Council, the county where Brevard is located. Billy teaches art to people of all ages, from 5 to 95, in his private studio in Brevard. He also teaches art to students in the Transylvania County schools. Billy is dedicated to beautifying and improving his community and was the driving force behind creating regulations and policies for murals and public art in Brevard, which previously had no such guidelines for artists and property owners to follow.

Billy joins us today to talk about his work and specifically a mural he painted in Hendersonville, NC titled “A Youthful Journey Up 7th Avenue,” which celebrates the life and culture of an important historical neighborhood in that town.

Next Episode

"I Want to Paint Your Building!" Andrea Martin: On a Mission to Beautify the Town

This week’s guest is Andrea Martin, an interior designer, artist, and muralist based in Hendersonville, NC. She is a native of Henderson County and has painted dozens if murals all over the Southeastern U.S. We will focus today on three that she did in her hometown.

Andrea is using her artistic talents to serve her community. After being moved by the story of a veteran that had experienced negativity after returning from Vietnam, she took it upon herself to find a building on which she could paint a huge tribute to all veterans. She had to be persistent and resourceful to make it happen, working with the building owner, navigating city regulations, trying to find time while working another full-time job, and enduring the challenges of painting her first mural. She overcame them all and completed the mural. Her work was so appreciated by the citizens of the town and it won a national award for the most striking mural in the nation in 2016.

She will tell us the story of that mural and two others she did all with the goal of beautifying her town. You will be inspired by her determination and self-sacrifice to help her community.