JOSÉ ORTIZ

^{(b. Dominican Republic; lives and works in New York, NY)}

José Ortiz is an Afro-Dominican multimedia artist and educator whose practice spans painting, public art, curation, and art history. His work often layers symbols and mythologies to build connections across cultures and diasporic experiences. He was commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts & Design program to create permanent work for the 183rd Street and Jerome Avenue subway station in the Bronx. Ortiz co-founded Areytos Performance Works with choreographer Sita Frederick, developing Caribbean-rooted, socially engaged performance. He has over 20 years of experience in arts education, including roles at Henry Street Settlement, The Bronx Museum of Arts, and the Children’s Art Carnival.

Children’s Art Carnival affiliation: Multiple Roles: Student (1989–1994), Teaching Artist Intern (1994–1998), Teaching Artist and Program Director (1999–2007), Volunteer Program Director (2012–2025), Curator (2019–Present)

José Ortiz, Earth Goddess (Rafaela), 2007. Mixed media on a Masonite panel, 48 × 48 × 2 in.

Earth Goddess (Rafaela), 2007

Mixed media on masonite panel
48 × 48 × 2 in.
Courtesy of the artist

In the 1980s, growing up in Harlem as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, José Ortiz struggled with language and cultural barriers that left him feeling alienated. However, when he became a student at the Carnival, he found a second family and a creative learning environment that contributed to his artistic and personal flourishing.

“I developed a real passion for the variety of mediums that I was being introduced to, as well as the different backgrounds of the people who became my mentors and almost like family members…” he reflected. “I had never really felt embraced in the community, but coming to the Art Carnival…gave me a lot of perspective. [It] gave me a lot of hope for my future.” Ortiz soon shared that experience with his brother, Dionis, encouraging him to join the Carnival as a student as well.

In this work from his Medusa Series, Ortiz challenges historical depictions of women as monstrous. This portrait of his mother celebrates both personal and cultural matriarchal figures, including Carnival executive director Betty Blayton-Taylor, whom Ortiz also revered for her resilience and compassion.