Local Hero #24: Bianca Garay

When Covid-19 hit, Bianca Garay was laid off from her job as Program Assistant for Cora Dance, a highly-respected Red Hook-based organization that provides dance, wraparound services, and leadership training for more than 600 children and teens. Like many nonprofit organizations, the pandemic forced Cora to lay off most of its employees.

Shannon Hummel, Cora's Founder and Artistic Director, knew that Bianca was a visual artist who had shared her art with the community in generous ways. For example, Bianca had donated a work of art to Cora's annual auction. So when the organization received a PPP loan in the spring of 2020, Shannon decided to use some of the money to commission Bianca to make a work that would show the group’s accomplishments. "She's a very soulful human being. Her love of people and their connection to one another shines bright in the work that she makes," shared Shannon about Bianca. After the two women brainstormed, the idea of a mural was born.

Bianca took her inspiration for the mural from a quilt that had been made for Cora which represented the contributions of many different individuals who make the organization what it is. She also drew ideas from combing through 25 years of Cora's photographs, picking images which were indicative of the community spirit and solidarity which it has preserved even in the face of the adversity experienced in the face of 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, and Covid-19.

In a happy turn of events, Cora was eventually able to re-hire Bianca as Cora’s PA, and also as an instructor in mural-making.

Below, Bianca shares a bit about the origins of her life as an artist and about the process of making the mural for Cora.

Thank you, Bianca, for sharing your skills, gifts, and inspiration with the families and young people of Brooklyn!

Q: Where did you grow up? What part of Brooklyn do you live in now? What do you love about your neighborhood?

A: I grew up in Brooklyn, I’m from Gowanus Houses and I’ve lived there all my life. What I love most about my neighborhood are the people. Everyone knows everyone.

Q: What kinds of art do you make? How old were you when you became interested in making art? What helped you stick with making art?

A: I love to paint, and my favorite thing to paint is people with a pop artsy kind of feel. I also LOVE to draw characters inspired from real life. I’ve always enjoyed drawing, When I was a student, I treasured having free time in school to draw and I looked forward to activities that involved drawing.

I was12 years old when I truly fell in love with drawing. In 6th grade, our first assignment in science was to draw a mad scientist, My pictures had so much more detail than I had ever included before in my art, and I pulled it straight out of my head. From there, it took off: My art teacher Mr. Colona would always give me sketchbooks and I would use those to draw these “homie” stickers that I’d get from the supermarket. Or I’d draw any cartoon that caught my eye.

Q: What has it been like to be an artist during COVID? How do you keep your process going?

A: I have to say that there have been times that I have felt uninspired during COVID. I work with children and they inspire me on the daily, so having that part of my work life completely come to halt took a toll on my creativity. But when things did slow down dramatically, I did what I could to find inspiration with what was now the “new norm." I started drawing how I felt when I made a delicious meal, as well as what my uninspired moments looked like and what quarantine looked like.

Q: You recently did a mural for Cora Dance. How did that collaboration come about? What were some of the fun aspects of making that mural and what were some of the challenges? Did other people help you with any part of the process? How did you develop your ideas for the kinds of images you wanted to include in the mural? What kind of message or impact do you hope that the mural has on the families that CORA serves?

A: When COVID hit, Cora came to me and told me that they received extra funding and would be able to pay me and another artist for some months. The most enjoyable part of making my mural was watching it unfold and come to life right before my eyes. Coloring each section and personally knowing each child that was in these pictures made my image come that much more alive.

The biggest challenge was mixing all of the colors from just 8 bottles of paint. I’ve been practicing color theory and my mural put my knowledge of color theory to the test. I did have some help when it came to finishing the first wall and doing the second wall. This is the biggest project I’ve ever done and the biggest wall I’ve ever done that’s covered with an image from corner to corner, so having an extra set of hands was super helpful.

After Shannon told me some of the history of Cora, I decided to use photographs they had as inspiration for the images in my mural so I could really capture Cora and all of its glory. I hope that when the families of Cora see my mural, they can have a visual reminder of how Cora was walking beside them through some of the most challenging times within the world and served as an outlet to all the young people who go there to participate in their programs.

Q: What role do you see your art playing in work for social justice and social change?

A: Since art serves as a universal language, I hope my art can bring people together during the fight for social change and create a platform from which people can better understand one another.

Q: What are some of your goals for yourself as an artist in 2021 and beyond?

A: My biggest goal as an artist is to be able to travel for my art. I want my art to speak to people so much that they want to fly me out to different parts of the world so that I can leave a piece of my art all over the world to inspire others. My goal for 2021 is to continue to perfect my craft, find my path in digital art, and help the children that I work with find their path in art.

To follow Bianca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brig... and https://www.instagram.com/ay0o...
To contact Bianca about her work as a professional muralist, message her on Instagram.
To register for Bianca's mural class for children: https://coradance.org/low-risk...
To donate to Cora: https://coradance.org/donate

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Photo Credits: Cora Dance and Bianca Garay