IRISOL GONZALEZ

Irisol Gonzalez (she/her) is a fine artist and muralist living and working in Charlotte, NC for more than 8 years. She immigrated to the United States with her Costa Rican immediate family at the age of 10. She grew up and went to college in North Carolina, but her upbringing was traditionally Costa Rican at home.  Her public work often reflects her interpretation of what it means to be a Latin American immigrant, a brown woman, and a person who has two cultures working simultaneously in every endeavor and experience. With a double mayor in psychology and political science from Appalachian State University, Irisol often poses moral questions from a psychological and/or political standpoint.  When she’s not questioning motives in her work, she is celebrating the gift and privilege of diversity and heritage.

2020 FELLOW PROJECT
MURAL/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

Unlike other areas of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Latinx communities in Eastway, Central Avenue, and Montclaire neighborhoods are overlooked by public art and city enhancement initiatives. This project will co-create community murals that will provide residents with the opportunity to voice and celebrate their unique cultures. Given the current political atmosphere of the country, many Latinx families feel targeted and unwelcome in the city. Public art provides a sense of ownership and belonging as it beautifies the spaces it's in. Bringing public art to these communities can change the way they care for these spaces as well as serving as a place making tool for their residents.