COMMUNITY ART PROJECTS

We Heal Project

Hogar/Home Art Residency

Resilience Project

Immigration Nation

The Bench Project

Memories Series

Parque Las Americas

Cultural Exchange Peru

ArtVentures
Lowell

Totems Sumter
SC

Sowing wishes Boston, MA

House of Hope Boston, MA

Jail Mural Northampton

History of Women

Dream Locomotive

Manhan Rail Trail
NORA VALDEZ
Home/Hogar
(Artist in residence Eliot School of Fine & applied Arts 2018)
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?
NORA VALDEZ
Resilience: Still We Rise
(Urbano Project Artist in Residence, Boston MA, 2018)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
Immigration Nation
(Funded with a grant from Creative City program at NEFA, New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston MA, 2017)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
The Bench Project
(Carving Studio and Sculpture Center 2008-2022)
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.



NORA VALDEZ
Walking with Memories
(Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston MA, 2010)
NORA VALDEZ
Parque Las Americas
( Ayacucho, Peru 2009/2010)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
Cultural Exchange, Peru
(Artist in Residency, Ayacucho, Peru 2006, 2007, 2008)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
ArtVentures
(Art Ship Enterprise, Lowell, MA 2007)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
Totems
(Totem Sumter, SC USA 2006)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
Sowing Wishes Harvesting Dreams
First Night, Boston MA, USA, 2006)
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.
NORA VALDEZ
Houses of Hope/City of Dreams
( First Night, 2005, Boston, MA USA)
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..
NORA VALDEZ
Jail Mural
( Mural Project Hampshire County Jail, Northampton, MA USA 2003)
NORA VALDEZ
History of Women
( History of Women Restoration, Northampton, MA, USA 2003)
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.



NORA VALDEZ
Dream Locomotive
( Lowell, MA USA 2003)
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.



NORA VALDEZ
Manhan Rail Trail
(Manhan Rail Trail Mural Easthampton, MA USA 2002)
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.




NORA VALDEZ
(Funded with a grant from the Creative City program at NEFA, New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston MA, 2020)
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









