Presentation: Sonia Romero

I chose to present on Sonia Romero, who grew up in Northeast Los Angeles and attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and Rhode Island School of Design. She is the daughter of two Los Angeles-based artists and operates her own studio, She Rides the Lion, in Northeast Los Angeles.Her art, which typically revolves around Los Angeles and its Chicanx culture, has been installed in public places in the city, including the MacArthur Park Metro station. She draws on the Latin American and Chicanx printmaking tradition in her work, which frequently references folklore, such as a tale of romance between a sailor and a mermaid. Her loving, honest depictions of the Chicana body both reveal insecurity and challenge it, and her public installations recall the Chicanx mural traditions of the first half of the 20th century. I find her public works very compelling as a way to build community and pride in Los Angeles and its smaller neighborhoods. Her public works empower and reflect the communities in which they are located.