During this residence Valdez worked with Teen Bridge artists creating an installation exploring the meaning of home, incorporating contributions from a series of community workshops.

Together with the Teen Bridge artists and the public, we investigated these questions: What makes a place a home? How we do create a feeling of a home? And, how do we welcome others home?

Still We Rise focuses on art making as an act of healing, revolving around themes of personal resilience and sustainability.

Still We Rise is an installation with an original musical track. Many local youths have been subjected to various kinds of violence including domestic, bullying, psychological, and the violence of discrimination. Through writing, drawing, and sculptures Valdez and the students explore the times of strength and healing, discovering their own resiliency in the process.

See Urbano Project for more information.

Immigration Nation is a community art project created in collaboration with community members and artists that uses suitcases as a vehicle to tell the story of individual immigrant journeys. Each suitcase was transformed into a work of art that celebrates individual stories and represents a collective American experience. Over 500 suitcases were produced and exhibited in 3 locations in collaboration with the Urbano Project and the Egleston Square Main Street. Immigration Nation was also exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston for Memorial Day week on 2018.

For more information, please see NEFA website.

The Stone Bench Project grew out of a Carving Studio and Sculpture Center Exchange Program with Ayacucho, Peru begun in 2006 helping teens reclaim their stone carving and cultural heritage. Inspired by the success in Ayacucho, artist Nora Valdez continued the annual project in West Rutland during July 2008 until to date. We had install benches in Town Hall, West Rutland, Giorgetti Park, Rutland, Town Green Fair Heaven, Burlington, Stone Valley Coop, Poultney, Public Library, Middlebury, Kennedy Park, Brandon, Town Hall, Clarendon, Town Hall, Castletown, Town Hall, Proctor.

This is a permanent Outdoor sculpture installed at Boston Day and Evening Academy in 2010.
This project was created in collaboration with students from high school with funding from the MCC (Massachusetts Cultural Council).

In February 2009, Nora Valdez  started doing Public Art in Ayacucho, Peru with the  students from the Peru exchange program (sponsored by Carving Studio and Sculpture Center and CHIRAPAQ). We started with a park from the students neighborhood and carved monoliths inspired by the Wari culture (pre-Inca civilization). Valdez worked with 5 students to create three 10 foot tall sculptures and two 6 foot long benches with the local stone, similar to granite.

This artist in residency was  funded by an anonymous family Foundation and administered by the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center from VT, MADRE from NY and CHIRAPAQ an indigenous Cultural organization based in Lima, Peru. Valdez was selected for this residency to taught indigenous Quechuas from Ayacucho Peru to carve their local stone ( Piedra de Huamanga). She was the artist in residency for  three years training young sculptors. Valdez worked for a month each year and we produce work that end in an exhibition at  the local Museum.  Each year of the program Valdez selected two students to travel to Vermont to learn more about stone carving at The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland Vermont.

 Art mobile was designed and created by Nora Valdez  in collaboration with  visual artist Persi Narvaez from Peru, in collaboration from Youth Build Students, sponsored   by The Revolving Museum and Community Team Work, Inc. from Lowell, MA. We collaborated on the theme incorporating the many cultures that are part of the Lowell community.

Valdez created this permanent Public Art piece in collaboration with artist Persi Narvaez from Peru and students from Sumter’s public schools., elementary, middle and high school. As part of the Artist in Residence program for Accessibility 2006. Combining Pre-Columbian Icons with the exploration of Icons common to society and local culture today.

Valdez created this  interactive installation in the Boston Common in collaboration with artist Mathew Terry for First Night Boston. We collaborated with youth from Day and Evening Academy ding workshops to created the installation. The piece was approx. 40x 45 in diameter. The pubic was invited to write on the  tags, wishes for the new year. More than 3,000 wishes were writing by the audience on New Year Eve.

Valdez collaborated with artist Mathew Terry to created this installation for First Night Boston. They worked with students from Boston Evening Academy and The Boys and Girls Club from Boston doing workshops to created House of Hope. The piece  consisted of four houses representing various forces at play in determining our future. In the midst of the houses we created the “Wall of Wishes”, an interactive component where First Night participants contributed over 5000 of their own wishes and hopes for the year to come..

This mural was created with the inmates from the jail, representing their diversity, their hope and dreams.

Valdez was the artistic director for the restoration, including updates from the past 25 years, of this 4,000 square foot mural in downtown Northhampton, MA.

Created with children from the Lowell Community Charter School, sponsored by The Revolving Museum, this 100 foot long train carries the history, culture and dreams of Lowell, MA and its diverse inhabitants.

 Valdez created this mural for the city of Easthampton in Western Massachusetts in collaboration with community members and seniors citizens. Nora Valdez had  many workshops to paint this mural on wooden panels and is approximately 10 feet by 150 feet long. They incorporate many architecture from the city and their people. The mural was completed in June 2002 along the bicycle path in Easthampton.

WE HEAL is an art project I created in collaboration with the Cancer & Sickle Cell Support Programs at Boston Medical Center. The project encouraged patients, many of whom are immigrants, to explore and express their healing journey in artistic ways. In addition, we worked with patients from Dana Farber Cancer Institute and youth from Urbano Project.

WE HEAL created a space for patients to be together, share, and learn in a nurturing atmosphere. As we were in the midst of a pandemic, we adjusted our workshops to function in digital space.

We began our work together by exploring the topic of healing. What images, words, people, foods, bring comfort aid healing?  What inspires and brings hope?  We created collages, mandalas, poems and personal prayer flags to foster peace, compassion, strength, delight and wonder, and to spread goodwill into the community.

Documentary  Youtube

The Book (pdf)

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