OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 
“我希望这幅壁画可以传播和平。我鼓励人们用它来互动，拍下来，在你的社交网络里分享。这样你就是在传播和平。”
Clay McAndrews是在密歇根的杰克逊举行的光明壁画节的创始人和联合指导。他获得了中央密歇根大学的图形设计专业学位。他的作品专注于主题简单、线条简洁的明亮调色板。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

“我想用壁画激活空白的空间，赋能观众，让他们与身边和更广阔的周遭产生联系，给他们一种自己社区里的地方的感觉，这就是壁画的作用。我探索了各种主题，包括环保意识、启迪孩子的概念、社区、女性赋能，以及LGBT的韧性。从头至尾都有一个重复出现的主题，那就是自我反思和成长。除了艺术本身的伟大含义之外，我在创作时还喜欢花时间和路人互动，介绍自己，解释我的作品和创作过程。风度翩翩一点，和这个社区的联系多点，会让他们看到我出现在他们的社区画画时心里更舒适地去了解我，他们会在接下来的几年每天都看到我的作品。”
 

超过13年来，我一直在美国和全世界创作公共艺术项目，和业主、小公司、城市实体和大公司合作。我在马里兰的巴尔的摩开启了我的公共艺术生涯，用赠款在当地公园做小型社区壁画，活跃了枯燥的空间，同时让本地的艺术家齐聚一堂。2015年我离开巴尔的摩，在俄勒冈的波特兰开始了新的生活，继续我的职业，创作私人和商业壁画。自那以来，我在美国多个城市画出了作品，并在全球展示了公共艺术作品，包括德国、法国、英格兰、巴西和澳大利亚。我目前的大本营在科罗拉多的丹佛，因为这个城市给艺术家提供了机会，同时它的核心地理位置便于出行。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
《大我》旨在启迪孩子以及成人考虑他们的“大我”，为我们的星球的大局承担责任，让他们理解每个行动都会对应一个反作用，地球上的所有生命都是彼此关联的。这个壁画还包括了地球的四个元素，天鹅代表风，鲸鱼代表水，蕨类植物代表土，星星代表火。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
银杏树是所属树科最后存活下来的物种，2.7亿年来逃过了时间的手掌心，象征了忍耐和永恒。在气候变化和新冠疫情的时代，我们越发知道有些力量不在我们的控制之下，我们不得不终将面对死亡，我们不是永恒。正如银杏叶，我们的星球在我们离开后依然会存在很久。在针对美国的司法系统和种族主义政策的骚乱和抗议出现之后，2020年6月这个街头艺术作品在科罗拉多的丹佛展出。斯特凡真的希望人们能够看到和听到我们的政府治理和社会中被曝光的缺陷，并能做出真正的改变。就像银杏一样，爱是永恒的。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


David Amoroso通过他的艺术作品表达对拉丁文化的崇拜。他对艺术的热情包括绘画、摄影、模板和丝网印花四个方面。虽然David的大部分作品都致力于创作普通人的肖像，但他也通过他的作品来展示墨西哥的流行文化。他涉足拉丁艺术界，这使他能够为亡灵节创作墨西哥灵坛和危地马拉木屑地毯。他的艺术作品让他有机会在华盛顿都会区、加州、亚利桑那州、北卡罗来纳州、墨西哥、中美洲和南美洲等地展出作品和工作。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

美国最高法院已故的RBG致力于平等，并进行了开创性的努力，从而提升了我们许多人。RBG的 “超能力”在于她能把世界看得通透。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
这张图代表了所有人，而不是具体某个人。旗帜披在肩上的目的是为了像毯子一样去裹住并安慰这个人。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

 


“诚实地说，我不知道我是否曾创作出一件艺术品，我也不再在乎。我自己是对象和图片的创作者，我运用对象和图片，正如作家运用词语或者音乐家运用声音作为沟通的媒介。更具体地说，我运用图片代表我日常生活中面对的思想和问题。对我来说，创作行为和创作过程总是一种学习的经历。通常，正如我改变作品那样，我创作的对象和图片同样也会改变我自己。”
Scott Eagle在位于北卡罗莱纳州格林维尔的东卡罗莱纳大学艺术与设计学院担任副教授以及该学院绘画项目的区域协调员。他的绘画和插图作品的原作和复制品在世界各地展出。他的作品登上过《牛津美国》《纽约时报》《连线》以及Juxtapoz艺术杂志等众多书籍和出版物。Scott在2013年当选为《创意季刊》杂志的百名创意人士之一。他运用包括数字媒介在内的各种媒介进行创作，他尤为感兴趣的是创意行为，比如一边思考一边创作。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


“竞选市长的”Chris Riggs是纽约市的一位当代艺术家，他的艺术作品是立体主义、抽象、超现实主义、极简主义、流行艺术和街头艺术独特的综合，这让他成为他这一代领先的艺术家。他的绘画和雕塑分布于50多个博物馆、画廊和私人收藏。
“竞选市长的”Chris Riggs1973年出生于纽约市曼哈顿，在纽约市立学院和纽约哥伦比亚大学学习绘画和政治科学。他在迈阿密和纽约生活、工作。
Chris三岁时在他来自意大利的爷爷的陪伴下开始了他的职业绘画生涯。11岁时，Chris使用的媒介是纽约市废弃建筑和火车隧道里的喷漆和壁画。17岁时，Chris用他的喷雾罐交换了一个绘画毛刷。从20世纪九十年代开始，Chris Riggs就一直在从事复杂的抽象画和雕塑创作。2004年，Riggs决定竞选纽约市市长，因为他看到了不公：布隆伯格市长决定取消学校午餐计划。这让他愤怒，他决定竞选纽约市市长，并通过他的艺术作品改变这个城市。2005年，Riggs在纪录片《纽约的承诺》中自己扮演纽约市市长的候选人。他开始在“竞选市长的”Chris Riggs名下创作艺术。
他使用丙烯酸和喷漆创作出符合城市特点的政治绘画和雕塑作品。Chris将使用的鲜明色彩和几何形状与特定城市的独特词汇和调色板搭配，当然，最重要的还要与这个城市的政治活跃、改变世界的动态搭配。
这些作品综合了立体主义、抽象、超现实主义、极简主义、流行艺术和街头艺术，源自于艺术家的独特观点。Chris受到的影响来自纽约市的街头艺术、黑白非洲艺术、毕加索、基思·哈林（Keith Haring）、让-米歇尔·巴斯奎特（Jean-Michel Basquiat）、波洛克（Pollock ）和安迪·沃霍尔（Andy Warhol）。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Tom Meyer被称为“外行”艺术家。
他的确是个自学成才的画家。Meyer主要用丙烯颜料在画布或画板上作画，他的绘画源自于灵魂里的冲动。
透过他绘画中的演员列表，我们可以看到他的内心和想象。如他所说，绘画描述了“救赎、原谅、接受、拒绝和爱”主题的故事。
Meyer说过，“我不画事物，我画想法。”他的作品受益于各式各样的的创意的启发，从当前时事到古代哲学均有涉猎。作为一个外行艺术家或者有远见的艺术家的视角，Meyer的作品体现了创新的传统，其根源包括早期美国民间艺术，直到今天，仍在以各种有活力的方式持续演变。像很多其他的外行艺术家一样，Meyer用他的画作创造了他自己的宇宙。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Michelle Angela Ortiz是一位视觉艺术家、娴熟的壁画画家、社区艺术教育者以及电影制作人。她以艺术作为工具，刻画那些历史被忽略或被强行借鉴的群体与社区。通过社区艺术实践、绘画、纪录片以及公共艺术装置，她为社区和个人可能面对的一些最为重要的议题创造了一个进行对话的安全空间。
她的作品运用丰富且有感染力的意象讲述故事，将空间加以利用和改造，从而以视觉化的方式表现出社区的力量和精神。
二十年来，Ortiz在美国和世界各地设计和创作了50多件大型公共作品。自2008年来，Ortiz在哥斯达黎加和厄瓜多尔领导运用艺术推动社会变革的公共艺术项目，并通过美国大使馆成为在斐济、墨西哥、阿根廷、西班牙、委内瑞拉、洪都拉斯和古巴的文化使者。
Ortiz是2020年“艺术为正义”基金的获资助者、皮尤学者、劳森伯格基金会“活动分子艺术家”项目成员以及肯尼迪中心公民艺术家项目成员。她于2016年获得非营利组织“美国艺术”（Americans for the Arts）公共艺术年度大奖。该奖项表彰美国杰出的公共艺术项目。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Pony Wave是一位纹身师、街头艺术家和画家，目前住在洛杉矶，在那里经营她的工作室。她最为人所知的是她的艺术作品和绘画，尤其是洛杉矶威尼斯艺术墙上的壁画《保重！》，这副画广为人知，吸引了媒体的注意。Pony Wave擅长程式化彩绘，她的作品受到现实主义的现代潮流和若斯托沃绘画（一种古老的俄罗斯民间手工艺图形艺术）的影响。她还在《纹身大师》第12季作为纹身师出镜。Pony Wave出生在俄罗斯弗拉基米尔，她在那里开启了她的纹身职业生涯。成年后，Pony Wave移居到美国洛杉矶，目前在那里工作、生活。Pony Wave是纯素食主义者。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Thomas Evans，又名Detour，是一位全面的创作者，擅长大型公共艺术、互动视觉效果、画像、沉浸式空间和创意指导。他专注于创作艺术与创新结合的作品。Detour是天生的协作者和“军人之子”，他的灵感来源于每个可以想象的经历，这些经历塑造了他的视野和视角。
解析Detour的作品绝非易事，因为在视觉艺术、音乐和互动技术上持续的实验让他的创作方式不断扩展。Detour的艺术方式持续演变，通过结合传统媒介和全新方式，他专注于扩展关于创意的习惯看法，并挑战美术的范式——同时将创意过程从单一艺术家拓展到注重多层次协作以及观众参与。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Nils Westergard（NILS.RVA）是一位漂泊在外的比利时裔美国街头艺术家和电影制片人，住在弗吉尼亚州里士满市。
Nils 从小在华盛顿DC开始涂鸦，通过在通道、桥梁和戏剧舞台布景磨练他的技能。他手工剪裁的精细模具作品为他的工作室创作打下了基础，并让他进入弗吉尼亚联邦大学学习电影，并结合自己的手工艺制作了嘻哈音乐视频。毕业后六个月内，他开始每周在一个欧洲城市创作，并在街头艺术界渐渐树立起自己的形象。
如今，Nils 的视角从全球缩小到世界各地的墙壁上给人以亲切感的大型、伤感肖像，还有他在画廊中精细入微的模版作品。他是位于阿姆斯特丹的Multi-Syndicate Crew艺术家团体的成员，他穿梭于弗吉尼亚州里士满和欧洲之间。
Nils今年28岁。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


John Pepion是黑足联盟皮卡尼分支的平原印第安人图形艺术家。他来自在蒙大拿州中北部的黑足原住民保留地，落基山脉在那里与平原相接。约翰以他的账本艺术而闻名。账本艺术是一门在平原部落中发展起来的艺术传统。随着在传统上用于绘画的北美野牛皮变得稀缺，平原部落被迫适应形式，在账本的帐簿纸上进行艺术创作。约翰来自一个艺术家家庭，象形艺术在他的家族中已有数百年之久。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
“我想打动人们，在世界上发出声音。如果你打动了人们，你就是在做一名艺术家的工作。”
Louis Still Smoking在蒙大拿州布朗宁市的黑足原住民保留地出生和长大。艺术流淌在他的血液中。在其他有天赋的家庭成员的启发下，他发现艺术具有疗愈性，并在很小的年纪就开始绘画。在一个小社群中长大，让他得以专注在自己运用铅笔和画笔的能力上。Louis认为，所有的媒体都是通过他的眼睛向世界表达艺术的同样重要的机会。他喜欢接受挑战，把一切都投入到他的作品中。他1998年毕业于南达科他州弗兰德鲁印第安学校（Flandreau Indian School ）。他做了11年的石雕师，然后决定回到大学继续深造艺术。
带着一颗热爱雕塑的心，他发现自己的绘画和素描技巧需要进一步提高，所以他开始重视绘画。Louis的艺术作品受到印象派画家Lucian Freud的影响，以及有关美国印第安人运动的历史研究的影响，他们的成就是基于想要有所作为，这对他很有启发。Louis的作品一直在发展和成长，“我试图传达一种与所有原住民有关的信息，无论是社会的还是政治的，我的作品都表达了我作为一个现代美国原住民的个人信仰和斗争。”
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


Betsy Casañas 
Betsy Casañas是视觉和公共艺术家、教育者、社区活动人士和组织者。她是A Seed on Diamond 艺术画廊总监和Semilla艺术项目创始人。Casañas在艺术领域拥有26年经验，并在全球范围内创作了50多幅壁画。2018年，Casañas被《罗博报告》评为“全球改变街头艺术面貌的五位女性”之一。她的作品以对图案和色彩的运用以及以尊重的笔触刻画被边缘化群体而著称。
创造安全的空间一向是她工作的重要组成部分。作为一直在世界各地有色人种社区中工作的拉美裔艺术家，她了解对于生活在这些社区中的人们来说，看到自己在艺术作品以及在居住地的领导者中得到体现有多么重要。她认为，艺术家有义务反映我们所处的时代，有义务突出人们的故事，并改变为我们创造的叙事。通过使我们共同故事变得常态化、人性化，我们创建了更包容的社区。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
Ian Pierce（或称Ekeko）是一位画家、马赛克艺术家和壁画家，在公共空间的大型艺术作品方面有着丰富的经验。他以个人或团队的形式进行项目，在智利、委内瑞拉、加拿大和美国完成了许多壁画和教育工作坊。通过壁画，他试图将观赏者与个人和集体记忆、拉丁裔遗产和文化认同等重要主题联系起来。他的作品中的一个重要特点是不断地寻求途径，将美和诗意与人们的日常生活及其社区重新联系起来，通过艺术来救赎他们的斗争和梦想。虽然出生在美国，他的大部分时间都生活在国外，尤其是他目前生活的智利。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)


MasPaz是一名出生在哥伦比亚、居住在华盛顿D.C.的多领域艺术家。他以极具特色的街头壁画而闻名，这些壁画探讨了西班牙裔散居人群的本土主题以及他们之间的联系。他的作品在美国和拉丁美洲的画廊中都有展出，他的大型壁画在世界各地的街头和空间熠熠生辉。Mas Paz在西班牙语中的意思是“更多和平”，这正是他努力通过艺术和慈善事业拥抱的理念。
ABC新闻、Telemundo和《华盛顿邮报》等媒体都对他进行过报道。他与耐克、《国家地理》、Roots、Sierra Club、Brooks Running等品牌以及史密森尼肖像画廊、New Museum、Corcoran、Freer and Sackler 画廊等机构也有合作。他还与世界各地的许多学校和教育中心合作。在新冠疫情期间，MasPaz发起了一系列免费的在线艺术课，鼓励人们将艺术作为保持心理健康的一种途径。他还设计了一款限量版的图案和织物，为当地慈善机构和社区中心筹集资金。
他通常的模样是这样的：手持画刷，画着画，教着课，或在国外传播着他关于“更多和平”的信息。
(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

La Union(艺术家提供了个人简历，以解释说明他们的作品和背景。艺术家的观点是他们自己的观点，不代表美国政府。)

“My hope for this mural is to spread peace. I encourage people to interact with it, photograph it and share it with your network. By doing so you are spreading peace.”
Clay McAndrews is the Founder and Co-Director of the Bright Walls Mural Festival, which takes place in Jackson, Michigan. He earned a degree in Graphic Design from Central Michigan University. His work focuses on bright color palettes with simple subjects and clean lines.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
“My murals are meant to activate vacant space and empower the viewer and connect them with their immediate and greater surroundings, giving them a sense of place within their community just as the mural does. I have explored themes of environmental awareness, concepts meant to inspire children, community, women’s empowerment, and LGBT resilience. There is a recurring theme throughout it of self reflection and growth. Outside of the greater message of the art, I enjoy taking time as I am creating to engage with passers by, introduce myself and explain my work and process. A personable connection with the community provides them a larger comfort in knowing a little more about who has shown up to put a piece of art in their neighborhood they will view in their day-to-day for years to come.”

I have been producing public art projects for over 13 years in the states and internationally, working with private property owners, small businesses, city entities, and large corporations. I started my public art career in Baltimore, Maryland doing small community murals at local parks funded by grants, activating dull spaces while bringing together local artists. I left Baltimore to start a new life in Portland, Oregon in 2015 where I continued my career painting both personal and commercial murals. Since, I have painted work in various US cities and have shown public artwork internationally in Germany, France, England, Brazil, and Australia. My current home base is in Denver, Colorado because of the opportunity the city provides for artists and its central location for travel.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
The Larger Self is meant to inspire children and adults alike to consider their larger self, take responsibility for the bigger picture of our planet and to understand that for every action is a reaction, and that all life on earth is interconnected. The mural also incorporates the four earth elements. The geese represent the wind, the whales represent water, the ferns represent earth, the stars – fire.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
The Gingko tree is the last of its genus of trees that have survived the hands of time for 270 million years. A timeless symbol of endurance and permanence. In these times of climate change and Covid 19 we are reminded more and more that there are forces beyond our control, we have had to face our mortality, our impermanence. Like the Ginkgo leaf, our planet will remain long after we leave. This street art piece was placed in Denver, Colorado in June of 2020 preceding the riots and protests over the American judicial system and its racist policies. Stefan really hopes that the faults brought to light in our governance and society can be seen and heard and real change can be made. Love endures, just like the Gingko.
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David Amoroso shows his admiration for Latin culture through his artwork. His artistic passion is divided between painting, photography, and block and screen prints. Although the majority of David’s work is dedicated to painting iconic portraits of everyday people, he also represents Mexican pop culture through his work. His involvement within the Latino art community has allowed him to create Mexican altars for Día de los Muertos and Guatemalan Alfombras de Aserrín. His art has brought him to exhibit and work in the DC Metro area, California, Arizona, North Carolina, Mexico, Central and South America.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), late Supreme Court of the United States, has elevated so many of us through her groundbreaking efforts and commitment to equality.  RBG’s “Super Power” was that she was able to see the world with clarity.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
“This image represents everyone, in lieu of a specific person, and the flag draped over the shoulders is intended to envelop and comfort the subject like a blanket.”
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“I honestly do not know if I have ever made a work of art and I no longer care. I am an object and image maker and I use objects and imagery in the same way that writers use words or musicians use sound; As a communicative medium. More specifically, I use images to represent ideas and issues that I am dealing with in my day to day life. For me the creative act and the process of making is always a learning experience and quite often the object or image that I create changes me as much as I change it.”
Scott Eagle is an Associate Professor and serves as the Area Coordinator for the Painting and Drawing program at the School of Art and Design, at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. His paintings and illustrations have been exhibited and reproduced internationally. Publications featuring his work include The Oxford American, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Juxtapoz, and numerous books. Scott was selected by Creative Quarterly Magazine as one of their top 100 creatives for 2013.  He works in a wide variety of mediums including digital and is especially interested in the idea of the creative act as thinking through making.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Chris Riggs “for Mayor” is a contemporary New York City artist, whose art works are based on a unique combination of cubism, abstract, surrealism, minimalism, pop and street art has made him a leading artist of his generation. His paintings and sculptures are in museums, galleries, and private collections in over 50 countries.
Chris Riggs was born in Manhattan, New York in 1973, and studied painting and political science at New York’s City College and Columbia University, New York. He lives and works in Miami and New York.
 
Chris began his career painting when he was three years old with his grandfather who was from Italy. At age 11, Chris’ medium was aerosol, painting murals in the abandoned buildings and train tunnels of New York City. At age 17, Chris traded in his spray cans for a paint brush. Since the mid-1990s, Chris Riggs has been making complex abstract paintings and sculptures. In 2004, Riggs decided to run for Mayor of New York City because he saw an injustice: Bloomberg cut the school lunch program. This angered him, and he decided run for Mayor of NYC and change the city through his artwork. In 2005, Riggs played himself as a mayoral candidate for New-York City in documentary movie “The Promise of New York. “ He started to create art under the name Chris Riggs for Mayor.
He executes his political city-based paintings and sculptures in acrylic and spray paint. Chris associates the vivid colors and geometric shapes he uses with the City’s unique vocabulary and palette, and, most importantly, its politically active, changing the world, dynamic.
These works, based on cubism, abstract, surrealism, pop art, minimalism and street art are derived from the unique point of view of the artist. Chris’ influence includes NYC street art, black and white African art, Picasso, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pollock and Andy Warhol.

(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Tom Meyer has been referred to as an ‘outsider’ artist.
He is indeed a self-taught painter. Working primarily with acrylic on canvas or board, Meyer’s paintings originate from impulses within his soul. The cast of characters that inhabit his paintings give an account of his inner life and his imagination. They tell a story with his themes, “of redemption, forgiveness, acceptance, rejection and love,” as he has described it.
Meyer has said, “I don’t paint things, I paint ideas.” His work is informed and inspired by a variety of ideas, from current events to ancient philosophy. Through an outsider or visionary artist, Meyer’s work is part of a creative tradition with roots that include early American folk art and that has continued to evolve in numerous and dynamic ways up to today. Meyer has created a personal universe with his paintings, as many outsider artists have done.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist/ skilled muralist/ community arts educator/ filmmaker who uses her art as a vehicle to represent people and communities whose histories are often lost or co-opted. Through community arts practices, painting, documentaries, and public art installations, she creates a safe space for dialogue around some of the most profound issues communities and individuals may face.
Her work tells stories using richly crafted and emotive imagery to claim and transform spaces into a visual affirmation that reveals the strength and spirit of the community.
For 20 years, Ortiz has designed and created over 50 large-scale public works nationally and internationally. Since 2008, Ortiz has led art for social change public art projects in Costa Rica & Ecuador and as a cultural envoy through the United States embassy in Fiji, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Venezuela, Honduras, and Cuba.
Ortiz is a 2020 Art for Justice fund grantee, a Pew Fellow, a Rauschenberg Foundation artist as an activist fellow, and a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist National Fellow. In 2016, she received the Americans for the Arts’ public art year in review award, which honors outstanding public art projects in the nation.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Pony Wave is a tattooist, street artist and painter currently residing in Los Angeles, where she operates her studio. She is best known for her art works and paintings, in particular for her Stay Safe! mural on the Venice Art Walls in Los Angeles, which gained notability and media attention. In her art, Pony Wave specializes in stylized colored drawings influenced by modern trends of realism, Zhostovo painting and an old Russian folk handicraft of graphic art. She also appeared on Ink Master season 12 as a tattoo artist. Pony Wave was born and raised in Vladimir, Russia, where she started her tattoo career. Later on in her adult life, Pony Wave moved to Los Angeles, USA, where she works and lives now. Pony Wave is a vegan.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
Thomas Evans, a.k.a. Detour, is an all-around creative specializing in large scale public art, interactive visuals，portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. His focus is to create work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour pulls from every conceivable experience that shapes his landscapes and perspectives.
Explaining Detour’s work is no easy task, as ongoing experimentations in visual art, music, and interactive technologies have his practice continually expanding. With his ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s focus is on expanding customary views of creativity and challenging fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches—all the while opening up the creative process from that of a singular artist, to one that thrives on multi-layered collaboration and viewer participation.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

Nils Westergard (NILS.RVA) is a nomadic Belgian-American street artist and filmmaker based in Richmond, Virginia.
Starting with graffiti at a young age in the Washington, DC area he honed his skills painting tunnels, bridges, and theatrical stage sets. His intricate hand-cut stencil work set a foundation for his studio practice and landed him at Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied film, making hip-hop music videos combining his crafts. After graduating he set out to paint a different European city every week for 6 months, and established himself as a rising figure in the street art world.
Today his lens has focused on subjects scaling from the global to the intimate- creating massive, drippy, portraits found on walls around the world, followed closely by his immensely detailed stencil work in galleries. A member of the Amsterdam based Multi-Syndicate Crew artist collective he splits his time between Richmond, VA and Europe.
Nils is 28.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)


(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)

John Pepion is a Plains Indian Graphic artist from the Piikani Band of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He is based out of the Blackfeet reservation in north-central Montana, where the Rocky Mountains meet the plains. John is best known for his ledger art, an art tradition that developed in Plains tribes as the buffalo hide, traditionally used for painting, became scarce, and they were forced to adapt to making artwork on the ledger paper from accounting books. He comes from a family of artists, and pictographic art has been in his family for hundreds of years.
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“I want to move people; have a voice in the world. If you move people you are doing your job as an artist”
Louis Still Smoking was born and raised in Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet Reservation. Art is in his veins. Inspired by other family members who were talented, he found art to be therapeutic and started drawing and painting at a young age. Growing up in a small community allowed him to focus on his ability to use a pencil and paintbrush. Louis finds all medias equally important opportunities to express art to the world through his eyes. He likes to take on a challenge and put everything into his work. He graduated from Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau South Dakota in 1998. Louis worked as a stone sculptor for 11 years and then decided to go back to college and further his studies in art.
With a sculptural mind he has found that his painting and drawing skill needed further development so he took on an emphasis in painting. Louis’ artwork is influenced by the Impressionists, Lucian Freud, research on the history of the American Indian Movement movement, and he finds it inspiring because what they accomplished was based on wanting to make a difference. Louis’s work is always evolving and growing, “I try to convey a message that is relevant to all native peoples, whether that be social or political. My work expresses my own personal beliefs and struggles as a modern Native American.”
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Betsy Casañas is a Visual and Public Artist, an educator, a community activist and an organizer. She is the director of A Seed on Diamond Gallery and founder of Semilla Arts Initiative. Casañas has 26 years of experience in the arts and has created over 50 murals worldwide. In 2018 Casanas was featured in the Robb Report as one of “5 Women Changing the Face of Street Art Around the Globe”. Her work is known for its use of pattern and color and for the dignified light that she represents the humanity in marginalized communities.
Creating safe spaces has been a vital part of her work. As a Latina artist who has been working in communities of color around the world she understands the importance of the people living in these communities to see themselves reflected in the artwork and in the leaders of  the places they inhabit. She believes that artists have an obligation to reflect the times we are living in and to highlight the people’s story and change the narrative that has been created for us. By normalizing and humanizing our collective stories we create communities that are more tolerant.
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Ian Pierce (or Ekeko) is a painter, mosaic artist and muralist with vast experience in large scope artwork in public spaces. He has developed projects as a solo artist or in teams, having accomplished many murals and educational workshops in Chile, Venezuela, Canada and the United States. Through his murals he seeks to connect the viewer with important themes such as individual and collective memory, Latin heritage and cultural identity. An important feature in his work is the constant search to reconnect beauty and poetry with the everyday life of people and their communities; redeeming their struggles and dreams through art. Although born in the United States, he has lived most of his life abroad, especially in Chile, where he currently lives.
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MasPaz is a Colombian born, Washington, DC based, multidisciplinary-artist. He is known for his distinctive street murals exploring indigenous themes and connectivity across the Hispanic diaspora. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States and Latin America and his larger murals can be found adorning streets and spaces internationally.  Mas Paz means ‘more peace’ in Spanish, a message he strives to embrace through both art and philanthropy.
He has been featured on ABC News, Telemundo and The Washington Post, among others. He has collaborated with brands such as Nike, National Geographic, Roots, Sierra Club and Brooks Running, as well as institutions such as the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, the New Museum, the Corcoran, the Freer and Sackler Gallery. He has also worked with numerous schools and education centers throughout the world. During the pandemic, MasPaz has initiated a series of free online art classes, encouraging art as an avenue for mental health, as well as designed a limited edition print and textile, raising money for local charities and community centers.
He can usually be found, brush in hand, painting, teaching, or spreading his message of “more peace” abroad.
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)
(Bio as provided by the artist to explain their works and background. Artists’ views are their own and do not represent the USG.)