Her Story
About Alicia
I studied anthropology in Bogota, Colombia, and earned a master's in social politics for the community, but art found me and I discovered it was the way I wanted to survive and live. I started believing I was an artist and began working with kids, finding that art was the way to have an impact with people. I came to the United States in 2010 with a visa that allowed me to work in art, the same work I was doing in Colombia. My family and I started an art academy here, teaching art to kids. I've been living in Miami for around 16 years, and my career has evolved from painting with acrylics on canvas to creating murals, including a huge mural in the city with school kids. Now I work with a senior group in North Miami Beach, and this is where I found my real purpose. When I started working with these ladies after the pandemic, I found a group of very lonely women who were afraid and nervous. I helped them move from working as individuals to creating something collective together. I'm currently doing large-scale art installations with textile fabric and yarn, working with around 50 senior citizens. I always tell them, 'you are the artist, I give you some ideas, but you are the ones that are making the project.' I'm not a lonely artist painting anymore. I work with people to make art that's important for them, giving them hope and helping them believe they are artists and that they can do important things for the community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alicia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to finding my purpose in working with the senior community. When I started working with this group of ladies after the pandemic, I found women who were very lonely, afraid, and nervous. At that time in my life, my two daughters were going out to study and have their own lives, and I asked myself what I was going to do with all this time and energy I still had. I realized I needed to put this energy, love, and passion into something that really impacts the community. I found in this group of ladies the way to give them hope and help them believe in themselves again. As people get older, they start feeling like they're on a different path from other people, like they're just by the side and not the focus of the community anymore. But now, because they've been doing a lot of projects that the city and community are watching, people say 'oh my god, who made this?' and I tell them these beautiful ladies made it all together. They're feeling very important now, and that's the most important thing I'm doing - giving them hope and the opportunity to believe in themselves again.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I work with my two daughters, who are young women, and they are like part of my group that supports everything I'm doing. They are architects, and they work with me behind everything I do with the community.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My value always is my family. That's the most important thing in my life - the love with my 3 kids and my husband, and now I have a granddaughter.
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