UA News

Visiting artist Rafael Lopez will give a talk on "Public Art in the Borderlands: Challenges and Opportunities."

Lopez grew up in Mexico City, immersed in the rich cultural heritage and native color of street life, influenced by Mexican surrealism, dichos and myths. His style as an artist and illustrator has roots in these traditions, fusing together a strong graphic style with magical symbolism. His paintings and murals have received international recognition.

His work has been selected into multiple juried shows and his children's books have won 2 Americas Awards and a Pura Belpre Honor. His 2008 poster Voz Unida was selected by the Obama/Biden campaign as an official poster at Artists for Obama. The Latino dance stamp he created for the United States Postal Services was featured on the cover of the commemorative stamp yearbook in 2006 and at a special exhibition at the Smithsonian called Trendsetters.

He envisioned and led the Urban Art Trail Project that transformed San Diego's blighted East Village with colorful murals, sculptures and art installations and serves as a model of urban renewal that has been implemented in cities around the nation.