Latino Murals Chronicles: Meet muralist José Piedra
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If we want to change the world, we have to change how people think”—José Piedra
Piedra working on his mural,“Catching the American dream”, located on Georgia Avenue NW, in D.C.
Today we continue sharing the stories behind the Latino street murals found around the Washington area. This interview with Peruvian artist José Piedra was written by a new contributor to Hola Cultura’s volunteer team, Rosa Alejandra Hernández.
Come back Wednesday,when we’ll publish the Spanish-language version of this story along with a Video Minute interview with Piedra.
It all started when José Piedra was 10-years-old. As a classroom assignment, his teacher instructed students to draw their favorites heroes from Latin American and Peruvian history.
Piedra with “Black History,” his mural at the Thurgood Marshall Building. Photos courtesy of the artists. Cover photo by Rosa Alejandra Hernández
Piedra had never drawn or sketched before but, to his surprise, he did so well that the teacher couldn’t believe he was the author of such a spectacular drawing.
“They called my parents because they thought that I had stolen the painting of my older sister, who used to draw very well. So, they asked me to reproduce the same drawing in front of them. When they saw the results, they were very impressed”.
In 1998 Piedra came to the United States like every immigrant looking for new opportunities. Lots of people tried to discourage him, he recalls. Many tried to convince him that he should find a job in a kitchen or a construction site like most of the Latin American immigrants he knew. But Pepe had a gift and he was convinced that no matter the language barrier and his inexperience in this new country he would continue his art in America.
The same year Piedra heard about the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, an abandoned factory transformed into art studios where visitors drop by anytime to see artists at work. At the time, the art center was having a contest to give away studio space to new artists. Piedra decided to enter and won free studio space. Since that moment, he has dedicated his life to what he enjoys and shares his knowledge at art schools in DMV area.
“If we want to change the world, we have to change how people think,” the artist says with conviction.
With a humble and wise soul, Piedra explains another important element of his artistic medium: muralism.
The Process: Making the “Healthy Living,” mural at the William Paca Elementary School in Landover, Md.
“Murals are opportunities to admire art for free. My pieces transmit messages of peace, nonviolence and comprehension between communities,” he says.
It hasn’t always been easy. With the economic crisis in 2008, he was forced to look for new alternatives. At the time, the D.C. government was looking for mural artists. Piedra made some murals in Perú but this would become his first time creating a mural in D.C.
His murals are located around the Washington area. “Catching the American dream,” on the corner of Georgia Avenue NW and Buchanan Street NW, is one of these creations. This mural, part of the Georgia Avenue Global Project, was directed by the muralist Joel Bergner, with support from the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
“Murals are an unusual way to educate the population. In this mural, I want to represent the meaning of the American dream. You can see the hands of people of different races trying to catch a bald eagle, the national bird in the United States. I want to give this message to new generations—a message of peace, union and tolerance among each other”.
Other murals by Piedra located in Washington D.C. are “Jammeando” (Jamming), 16th St. NE / Rhode Island Ave. NE; ”Black History” on the Thurgood Marshall Building at 12 Street NW; and another at the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple located at 540 16th St. NW. In Maryland, he painted one at a dental office in Oxon Hills; another called “Healthy Living” at William Paca Elementary School in Landover and at the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Greenbelt.
His paintings are also part of a permanent exhibition at the Renaissance Art Gallery in Hyattsville, Md.
Music, the best companion
Music has been part of Piedra’s life for as long as he’s been in the artistic world. In Perú in the ’90’s, he was the drummer in a reggae band Tierra Sur. For many years he collaborated with other bands in Perú, even Yawar, one of the most famous traditional Peruvian musical groups. When he came to the United States in 1998, he founded the band Raymi, a fusion of Latin-folk, rock, and reggae. The group broke up in 2006 but Piedra is always open to collaborating with reggae groups.
From Casma to the District
José Piedra born in Casma, a Peruvian city the north of the country’s capital, Lima, and home to one of the most ancient civilizations in America, the Caral, known for centuries for their artistic creations.
In 1987 Piedra graduated from the National Arts School in Perú.
In the Washington-area, he had taught art at Barbara Chamber Children Center and spent five years teaching at the Henson Valley Montessori School in Maryland. He currently teaches at Blue Moon Studio School, which he founded in Maryland, and works at the Sunrise Academy in the District.
—Rosa Alejandra Hernández
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