As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, the organization Puentes de Salud presented the exhibition «Roots and Resilience,» a community art showcase celebrating the culture, traditions, and resilience of the Latino community in Philadelphia. The exhibition, held at The Philadelphia Foundation, features murals that honor the cultural roots of immigrant families and highlight the strength with which these communities face current challenges.
«These murals reflect our roots and our resilience, right at a moment when the world seems to be in crisis. They arrived at the perfect time,» said Orfelina Feliz Payne, Executive Director of Puentes de Salud, with emotion.
Art as a tool for resistance and memory
The exhibition was created as an act of cultural affirmation in a context where immigrant communities often feel a lack of political support: «Even though sometimes we don’t have the political support we need, we are still here. We are resilient; we keep moving forward, proudly carrying our traditions,» Orfelina emphasized.
A message from the heart
The emotional connection to the exhibition was evident in Orfelina, who expressed a deep sense of identity and pride: «I identify with all of them. I feel deeply proud to be Hispanic, to be Latino. This art reminds me of that and makes me carry that pride in my heart,» said the Executive Director of Puentes de Salud.
Stories of immigration and community education
Artist and educator Nora Hiriart Litz presented the exhibition «Stories of immigration and community education,» composed of two interconnected projects exploring the power of art to narrate migration experiences and to revalue ancestral knowledge in community education.
The first project, focused on sculptures about DACA, centers on young beneficiaries of the program who grew up in the United States but face the threat of deportation to countries they no longer consider home. Each sculpture includes audio stories in the voices of the artists, reflecting these experiences. Active collaborators include Ivonne, Dulce, Damara, César, and Lemus.
The second, El Proyecto Grandote, uses murals as an educational tool to transmit and honor the ancestral knowledge that immigrant families bring. Its purpose is to educate children through the cultural knowledge their parents bring from their countries of origin.
A call to the community
In closing, Nora Hiriart delivered an emotional call to Philadelphia’s Latino families: “Don’t stop teaching your children what you know. You’ll be surprised: kids will love discovering all that their parents can share. It’s a way to keep culture alive and empower new generations.»
The exhibition «Roots and Resilience» demonstrates that art not only decorates spaces but also builds bridges between generations, rescues overlooked stories and transforms cultural knowledge into a tool for resistance and healing.