Nery, Los Angeles born and raised just blocks away from HOLA’s Arts and Recreation Campus in Lafayette park, returns to lead 10 young artists in the reactivation of the Felipe de Neve Library. As an internationally acclaimed artist, the subject of Lemus’ works range from issues of stereotype and immigration to problems in society that can lead to the failure of families, such as poverty, abuse and neglect. The artist received his BFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California (2007) and his MFA at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California (2009). Lemus also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine (2008). Outside of his flourishing career as an artist, Nery is also an educator and MFA director at Azusa Pacific University.

In collaboration with the phenomenal students at HOLA Visual Arts, Nery and his team of young artists initiated  Reflections in Lafayette Park: Reimagining an Urban Oasis. Reflections is a multi-year, NEH funded project with LAPL, UCLA CityLAB, the Hammer, The Huntington, LACMA, over a dozen emerging and established contemporary artists, and the HOLA community. As HOLA’s first artist residency program since the global pandemic, this location and its parenting project serve as the ideal site for HOLA’s interdisciplinary collaborations: humanities scholars working in tandem with curators, artists, and community members to activate the Library’s outdoor abandoned green spaces.

After countless hours spent painting in community at HOLA, the mural was finally completed and installed in the corner of Lafayette Park, beside the library. As a colorful piece, it stands as a representation of cultural heritage and community, revitalizing the space around it.

Read more about Nery's Residency : https://holapublicartproject.tumblr.com/