Photos courtesy of aptART
Awareness and Prevention Through Art (aptART) is a non-governmental, not for profit organization of artists, activists and educators engaging vulnerable children in art. Through workshops and murals, youth are empowered with an outlet to express themselves, build awareness and promote prevention about issues affecting their lives.
Ernesto teamed up with aptART on two projects in Portland, OR. The first project, Paint Outside the Lines, which included his mural The Guardian was completed in 2016. The second, Together We Rise, was painted in 2018.
Learn more about aptART here. To learn more about Ernesto and aptART’s international collaborations, click here.
The Guardian (2016)
The Guardian (2016) - Photos courtesy of aptART
The first time aptART and Ernesto teamed up together in Portland was for the Paint Outside the Lines initiative in 2016. The project scope included three murals, one by Ernesto, another by Ruben Sanchez, and a third by Kevin Ledo.
Ernesto’s piece was named The Guardian. It was painted on the back of the Cargo building.
aptART partnered Ernesto with kids from p:ear, an organization that works with homeless youth through education, art, recreation and job training to create more meaningful lives.
The kids painted things they love and things that spoke to their identity on the lower sections of the mural.
Learn more about the project with Graffiti Street.
Visit The Guardian in Portland, OR
Together We Rise (2018)
Together We Rise (2018) - Photos courtesy of aptART
aptART invited Ernesto and fellow artist Suhaib Attar to collaborate on the Together We Rise project.
The two muralists painted alongside students from the RISE (Refugee and Student Empowerment) program. They painted a falcon and a girl, who were both ready to “take off.” The girl was inspired by a RISE student whose family came to Portland from Basra, Iraq.
According to Graffiti Street, “The piece was created as collaboration with Ernesto Maranje and Suhaib Attar. Suhaib has Palestinian heritage and Ernesto has Cuban heritage, thus both have first hand experience of how supporting refugees and immigrants can raise up not only an individual but a whole city.”
Learn more about the project with Graffiti Street.
