The Artist: Michelle Angela Ortiz

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2D Fine Arts from Moore College of Art and Design, and her Master’s Degree in Science of Arts and Cultural Management from Rosemont College. Her first mural was through the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program in which she has worked as a contract artist for this program for the past ten years. She also works with various other nonprofit organizations, as well as performs residencies in other countries, such as Fiji, Mexico, and Costa Rica. All the while creating her own work. Her primary mediums are painting and print-making.  

Ortiz’s inspiration for her artwork stemmed from her family background. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, her mother emigrated from Columbia, South America, and her father emigrated from Puerto Rico. For Ortiz,  

“A lot of [her] work has started out, in terms of my development as an artist, within the representation of people in my family and their experiences, honoring where they come from, telling their stories, creating a visual documentary of their work... [She views her artwork as] a generational connection. . .to those who came before me.” 

The painting, “In the Name of the Mother, the Daughter, and the Spirit That’s Searching,” Ortiz captured the images of three women: her mother, her grandmother, and herself. All three women have their arms outstretched, revealing cupped hands, in which a visual representation of the sacrifices each women made can be seen. Ortiz’s hands remained empty as she explained “her hands [were] empty because she [did] not yet know what she [would] be sacrificing.”  

Within the Philadelphia community, Ortiz’s goals were to invigorate community members and encourage them to tell their own stories so that they could feel the power of their voice, the power of their stories, and understand why it’s important to tell them. Ortiz’s community mural work focused on providing people with the spaces to connect with their individual identity and their community identity. Ortiz described her community mural work as “art for social change, giving voice to communities, documenting and honoring stories, involving communities in the creative process, and claiming and transforming spaces...” 

Ortiz applied these same goals internationally, as well. In a 2009 project in Juarez, Mexico, Ortiz painted a mural on a concrete wall the government had built through a community as a result of a big flood that had devastated the area. The community no longer felt it was their space because of the wall. Working with and training graffiti artists and community members, Ortiz helped this community create a mural that was 180 feet long with a due date of 8 days. The completed mural represented chosen stories important to the community members such as the flood, recuperation, violence, change, and dedication to a boy who had died saving his brother in the flood.