Latinx Artists Speak: Storytelling & Making

​Join the New York Public Library for a celebration of Latinx Artists in New York City! This event is part of the World Literature and Arts Festival, taking place in-person at St. George Library Center.

This program will feature an engaging panel discussion exploring the power of art as a medium for storytelling and connection. This conversation will delve into the intersection of Latinx identity, creativity, and community as the panelists share their personal experiences, artistic practices, and the profound sense of belonging that art fosters within the Latinx community. The panel will feature four dynamic Latinx artists: Irma Bohorquez-Geisler, Patricia Cazorla, Nancy Saleme, and Libby Paloma. The discussion will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winning artist Medar de la Cruz.

This event will take place in person and online. 

To join the event in person | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. 

To join the event online | Please register for an Online Ticket. A livestream of this event will be available on Zoom Webinar. To receive an email reminder with the livestream link in advance of the event, please be sure to register!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The New York Public Library’s World Literature & Arts Festival (April 14–30, 2025) brings together trailblazers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to celebrate storytelling and spotlight NYC’s vibrant communities. Join us for free events, programs, book recommendations, and resources for all ages.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Irma Bohórquez-Geisler is a photographer, biologist, professor, traditional craftsperson and a cultural leader for Mexican-Americans on Staten Island. Irma immigrated to New York in 1991 from Mexico City. Irma’s photographs are part of her ongoing social-documentary series  “Simple Moments of an Emerging Presence” of Mexican-Americans and Mexican immigrants in New York since 2001, focusing especially on Staten Island, its most rapidly diversifying borough. Irma is the Founder, Artistic and Program Director of the annual New York City Day of the Dead Festival on Staten Island, established in 1992. 

Nancy Saleme is a Venezuelan/American visual artist, industrial textile designer, and colorist based in Brooklyn, holding degrees from prestigious institutions, including The Art Students League of New York. She creates a wide range of works—drawings, paintings, sculptures, and public art—using diverse materials and techniques that combine urban and natural elements with a distinctive color palette that resonates across audiences. Her work has been exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Copelouzos Family Art Museum in Athens and the Museo Joaquín Arcadio Pagaza in Mexico, Galería Club Empresarial Lima-Peru, and is part of various collections, such as NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine.

Patricia Cazorla is a queer Venezuelan-American interdisciplinary visual artist, curator, and educator, serving as a Lecturer and Hall of Fame Art Gallery director at Bronx Community College/CUNY. In the 2000s, she founded and directed Galeria Galou, an alternative space in Brooklyn dedicated to showcasing contemporary Latin American artists. Since 2010, she has collaborated with Nancy Saleme as the artist duo Cazorla + Saleme, creating public art projects that explore immigration, equality, and identity through digital and traditional media. Their work has received grants and commissions from institutions such as the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the Puffin Foundation, NYC Parks, the City of Newark, and NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine.

Libby Paloma is an interdisciplinary artist working across sculpture, installation, and performance. Embracing maximal aesthetics, humor, and craft traditions, she transforms familiar materials into layered forms imbued with multiple meanings. Immersive and labor-intensive, her sculptures draw from craft practices and traditional sewing techniques passed down by the Chicanas in her family while playfully incorporating otherworldliness, sparkle, and maximalism informed by her queer cultural identity. Paloma’s work has been exhibited at El Museo del Barrio (NY, NY), Burlington City Arts (Burlington, VT), SOMArts (San Francisco, CA), SPACE Gallery (Portland, ME),  and The Dorsky Museum (New Paltz, NY) among others. Her upcoming exhibitions include Tufts University (Medford, MA), Stephan Street Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI), and Human Resources Gallery (Los Angeles, CA).

Medar de la Cruz is a Dominican-American cartoonist and illustrator born in Miami, Florida, and currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated with a degree in illustration from Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, and has worked as a freelance illustrator for The New York Times and The New Yorker. Beyond the drawing board, Medar contributes part-time to the Outreach Department at the Brooklyn Public Library, where he provides book cart services to incarcerated individuals on Rikers Island. This experience has motivated him to explore the role of journalism in his autobiographical comics. Currently, Medar is working on a graphic novel about his experiences on Rikers to offer insights into spaces that are otherwise inaccessible to the public. In addition to drawing comics, he serves as an educator, sharing his passion for visual communication through community workshops across the city.

BOOKS & MORE 

Discover more books and ideas tied to this program in The New York Public Library's collections. 

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. 


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Livestream

• Live captioning will be provided.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.

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For questions and inquiries, please email aultprogramming@nypl.org

Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org.