Nyia Luna grew up on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attributes a lot of her art background and inspiration to her father, Tomás Garrett-Rosas. About 8 years ago, she lost her father to suicide and wears a necklace with his picture to keep him close. When her father was growing up in Milwaukee, he spray painted buildings illegally to share his art. She is following in her father’s footsteps, and has worked towards a career in art so that she can share her art legally.
During this past Hispanic Heritage Month, Nyia and another artist, Girlmobb, created a 1,200 square-foot mural of Dolores Huerta. Her art piece is located at 1247 S. Cesar Chavez Dr. in Milwaukee on the same wall that her father used to paint on. Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez. She has helped lead several boycotts to drive successful union contract changes. She also created the iconic slogan, “¡Si, Se Puede!” (Yes, We Can!). Depicted on the mural are Huerta’s words, “Honor the hands that harvest your crops.” The piece was created to raise awareness of women who committed their lives to help others and who serve as role models for future generations.
When asked about why she created the piece, Nyia Luna said, “We just need to really give thought of who’s preparing our foods and what they have to go through.” She hopes that her artwork will teach and inspire people.
When learning more about Luna, I thought back to the article we read, “15 Architects On Being Black In Architecture.” One of the architects, Pascale Sabian, notes that “Advocacy work can and should start on your block, in your neighborhood, in your community. See what injustices are impacting your town and take that as a beginning standpoint.” In a similar way, Luna uses her art as a way to advocate, and she creates art pieces in the community she grew up in.
Luna’s creative process stems from her desire to carry out her father’s legacy of graffiti art. Her experiences growing up shaped who she is and have influenced the art she creates. She creates art that will have an influence on the culture around her. She draws from her love of graffiti and the influences of her father. She explained, “I wanna take on what he couldn’t.” Luna continues to develop her artistic ability and honor her father through her art.
Some of her other graffiti art includes:
To learn more about Nyia Luna and her art you can find her on Twitter @NyiaLuna and on Instagram @NyiaLuna.
To see a video of her paining the mural, follow the link below!
https://twitter.com/NyiaLuna/status/1423004452143788032?s=20&t=h6X_BOoSbVyzDRN7BoThYg
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Thanks so much for sharing! The piece you showcase here is really beautiful, and I look forward to learning more about this artist. I love the idea you talk about of graffiti and murals as tools for social change at the local level. There’s something so impactful about seeing a large piece of art every day on your way to work or school that I think is really unique to this type of work.
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