ALICIA VASQUEZ
Alicia's artworks introduce the natural world through patterns, color, and the many other naturalistic elements such as botanicals, animals, and human figures. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she received her bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Growing up from a very diverse multicultural background, that identifying as both Puerto Rican and African American Creole heritage, a lot of her artwork themes portray those inspirations of unity and togetherness alongside her love for nature, and spiritual journey as an artist. Alicia now works full time as a public artist/ muralist and as a professional tattoo artist.
In April 2024, Alicia opened her first art studio which acts as both an art gallery and her private, appointment-based tattoo studio called, White Lotus Art Gallery and Tattoo. The gallery is located in a local artist studio center called 78th Street Studios in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alicia has always had a love for experimenting with different mediums, but her favorites include ink, pencil, and pyrography (wood burning). Her favorite styles to illustrate include fun textured patterns and nature, from mandalas to art nouveau inspired ornamental works.
Recently she has displayed mural works such as “Heart of Gold” at Metro Health hospital, as her contribution for the Cleveland RTA's "Elevate the East" Woodhill and Buckeye Mural.
In her free time, Alicia enjoys going for hikes and trail runs, she also enjoys traveling, nature documentaries, bookstores, meditation, herbal teas and pilates.
For everyone. For you.
By all of us. Join us.
ALICIA VASQUEZ
Honoring My Ancestors
Honoring My Ancestors
Alicia
Vasquez
Let's make our shared ideals a reality. For everyone.
And it is that spiritual connection that was really at the core of this process: that everything is connected and equally valuable, which was at the core of the spirituality of the American Taíno culture. It’s what I feel when I go into nature – just a feeling of settling peace, the stillness of belonging to everything around –not above, not below it, but in harmony with it.
As you travel around the sculpture, there are some things to explore:
-
The hands reaching down from the sky towards the face represent the Iroquis creation story of the Sky woman who falls from the sky world to the water below. She gives birth to twin sons – Sapling (the benevolent one) and Flint (the destructive one) – who create the world. It is a story about the importance of balance and respecting all living beings, including the earth as our sustaining force, as well as the potential for conflict and suffering.
-
The Hiawatha Belt, which I’ve included both through the design and the impression of bead work through my painting style. Belts were created from woven beads to record key moments and agreements. The Hiawatha Belt was particularly important as it recorded the decision of five warring nations (also known as the Iroquois – of which the Seneca Nation was one) to make peace. They chose unity. At the center of it is the cedar tree - the tree of peace, which is also the central tree in my design. The wampum belt is placed in the center of the pile of land with the hands that were offering it on the other side.
-
The abundance of nature, through the depiction of the Great River – the Ohi:yo –, the land at the foundation of the work, and the animals that you discover all around. It felt important to connect this culture to the space and ecosystem we inhabit, as core to the indigenous way of being was the belief in the equality of all living organisms, in equilibrium. It is a reflection of all that the land has witnessed over the centuries and all that it has made possible in its abundance. Will it be able to continue to do so in the future?
As you travel to the other side of the sculpture, you will see a pair of hands reaching out towards you. They are offering this land, this nature, this spiritual connection to you. That’s how I feel about having experienced this journey – it has been a real gift to me. In all I have discovered of my ancestors and the cultures that existed on this land, I do believe there is something that binds all of us living things together. It feels infinite yet precious, calm yet thriving.
There is so much to learn and to discover about the land we live on and the cultures that nurtured and co-existed with it that can enrich our lives today and the way we connect to our environment and each other. I hope this work can be your invitation to lean in.
ALICIA’s “If I Could Tell You Just One Thing…”
If you have the chance – discover and connect with the stories and cultures of your ancestors. I think it is a very powerful source of connection that can really bring great meaning and purpose to what you do with your life. It puts you in the great span of history and evolution, that you – we are all – a part of.
explore the theme
the artist's inspiration
What do we root our existence in? In the span of time, what is our place in the trajectory of the history and ecosystem of this planet? How do we connect with those who have come before us and with those that will come after?
In a world that moves so fast, I wanted to explore those questions in a very personal way through Honoring My Ancestors. For the most part, my ancestors are African and from the Taíno people of what is now Puerto Rico. As I explored my ancestors during the creation of this work – I made a huge discovery: that some of my ancestors were also from the Seneca nation.
It is from the Seneca word ohi:yo – meaning ‘great river’ that my home state Ohio got its name. And that really sums up what you see: an exploration of the discovery and spirituality that connecting with my ancestry inspired, both looking to the past but giving me great meaning in the present.
At the heart of the design you see a portrait of a person whose ethnicity you can’t necessarily identify. It is – in essence – a self-portrait of me, speaking to the many dimensions of my ancestry and that exploring my ancestry is about exploring myself and my roots..
The person is connected into the branches of a tree that is rooted into the earth. From the tree grows a tobacco plant, which the Taíno used a lot in their rituals and ceremonies as a sacred plant to help the soul of someone who had passed away transition to the spiritual realm.
CAPITOL PARK, detroit
june 2024
PURPOSE
in our relationship with ourselves.
WORTHINESS
I am worthy of love dignity and respect.
AWARENESS
I know how I see the world and where it comes from.
BELIEF
I believe I have something valuable to offer.
PURPOSE
I know what inspires me and what I want to do.
And it is that spiritual connection that was really at the core of this process: that everything is connected and equally valuable, which was at the core of the spirituality of the American Taíno culture. It’s what I feel when I go into nature – just a feeling of settling peace, the stillness of belonging to everything around –not above, not below it, but in harmony with it.
As you travel around the sculpture, there are some things to explore:
-
The hands reaching down from the sky towards the face represent the Iroquis creation story of the Sky woman who falls from the sky world to the water below. She gives birth to twin sons – Sapling (the benevolent one) and Flint (the destructive one) – who create the world. It is a story about the importance of balance and respecting all living beings, including the earth as our sustaining force, as well as the potential for conflict and suffering.
-
The Hiawatha Belt, which I’ve included both through the design and the impression of bead work through my painting style. Belts were created from woven beads to record key moments and agreements. The Hiawatha Belt was particularly important as it recorded the decision of five warring nations (also known as the Iroquois – of which the Seneca Nation was one) to make peace. They chose unity. At the center of it is the cedar tree - the tree of peace, which is also the central tree in my design. The wampum belt is placed in the center of the pile of land with the hands that were offering it on the other side.
-
The abundance of nature, through the depiction of the Great River – the Ohi:yo –, the land at the foundation of the work, and the animals that you discover all around. It felt important to connect this culture to the space and ecosystem we inhabit, as core to the indigenous way of being was the belief in the equality of all living organisms, in equilibrium. It is a reflection of all that the land has witnessed over the centuries and all that it has made possible in its abundance. Will it be able to continue to do so in the future?
As you travel to the other side of the sculpture, you will see a pair of hands reaching out towards you. They are offering this land, this nature, this spiritual connection to you. That’s how I feel about having experienced this journey – it has been a real gift to me. In all I have discovered of my ancestors and the cultures that existed on this land, I do believe there is something that binds all of us living things together. It feels infinite yet precious, calm yet thriving.
There is so much to learn and to discover about the land we live on and the cultures that nurtured and co-existed with it that can enrich our lives today and the way we connect to our environment and each other. I hope this work can be your invitation to lean in.
alicia’s “If I Could Tell You Just One Thing…”
If you have the chance – discover and connect with the stories and cultures of your ancestors. I think it is a very powerful source of connection that can really bring great meaning and purpose to what you do with your life. It puts you in the great span of history and evolution, that you – we are all – a part of.
THEME
ORIGINS
Origins explores the principal peoples and cultures that history brought together in the founding and evolution of what we now know as the United States.
THEME
ORIGINS
Origins explores the principal peoples and cultures that history brought together in the founding and evolution of what we now know as the United States.
explore the theme
the artist's inspiration
What do we root our existence in? In the span of time, what is our place in the trajectory of the history and ecosystem of this planet? How do we connect with those who have come before us and with those that will come after?
In a world that moves so fast, I wanted to explore those questions in a very personal way through Honoring My Ancestors. For the most part, my ancestors are African and from the Taíno people of what is now Puerto Rico. As I explored my ancestors during the creation of this work – I made a huge discovery: that some of my ancestors were also from the Seneca nation.
It is from the Seneca word ohi:yo – meaning ‘great river’ that my home state Ohio got its name. And that really sums up what you see: an exploration of the discovery and spirituality that connecting with my ancestry inspired, both looking to the past but giving me great meaning in the present.
At the heart of the design you see a portrait of a person whose ethnicity you can’t necessarily identify. It is – in essence – a self-portrait of me, speaking to the many dimensions of my ancestry and that exploring my ancestry is about exploring myself and my roots.
The person is connected into the branches of a tree that is rooted into the earth. From the tree grows a tobacco plant, which the Taíno used a lot in their rituals and ceremonies as a sacred plant to help the soul of someone who had passed away transition to the spiritual realm.
Let's make our shared ideals a reality. For everyone.
ALICIA VASQUEZ
Alicia’s artworks introduce the natural world through patterns, color, and the many other naturalistic elements such as botanicals, animals, and human figures. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she received her bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Growing up from a very diverse multicultural background, that identifying as both Puerto Rican and African American Creole heritage, a lot of her artwork themes portray those inspirations of unity and togetherness alongside her love for nature, and spiritual journey as an artist. Alicia now works full time as a public artist/ muralist and as a professional tattoo artist.
In April 2024, Alicia opened her first art studio which acts as both an art gallery and her private, appointment-based tattoo studio called, White Lotus Art Gallery and Tattoo. The gallery is located in a local artist studio center called 78th Street Studios in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alicia has always had a love for experimenting with different mediums, but her favorites include ink, pencil, and pyrography (wood burning). Her favorite styles to illustrate include fun textured patterns and nature, from mandalas to art nouveau inspired ornamental works.
Recently she has displayed mural works such as “Heart of Gold” at Metro Health hospital, as her contribution for the Cleveland RTA's "Elevate the East" Woodhill and Buckeye Mural.
In her free time, Alicia enjoys going for hikes and trail runs, she also enjoys traveling, nature documentaries, bookstores, meditation, herbal teas and pilates.
