In many ways, the various art exhibitions, maps, explanations, installations and other displays in museum galleries throughout the world illustrate the history of humanity – a collection of stories about groups of people moving and migrating over land and water, carrying their cultural practices and ancestral heritage with them.

“Art is powerful and not just to hang on the wall,” says Rosalía Torres-Weiner. “It’s a weapon to express our stories.”

Over the last decade, Rosalía’s art has increasingly focused on the stories of undocumented children living in the United States. She describes herself as an “ARTivist” because she is part artist and part social activist.

She doesn’t just share these stories through her art, but she is also determined to make an impact and create opportunities for the youth in her community to create art of their own.

“I wanted to bring arts to our community, especially now that people are afraid to go out to buy groceries and bread,” she says. “My idea is to bring the arts to underserved neighborhoods and provide art workshops, especially for children.”

Rosalía has developed arts programs specifically to help young people process the trauma that develops from extended periods of anxiety—and for many, the loss of one or both parents because of deportation.

 Rosalía began her own story in Mexico City. She later immigrated north to the United States – first to Los Angeles and then east to Charlotte, where she now lives and has lived for over 25 years.

Self-taught, Rosalía got her start in art as a muralist. She has since developed a studio practice that encompasses traditional painting, theater performance, arts education, and augmented reality.

She balances technological innovation with the ancient symbols of her Latinx heritage, melding indigenous and European traditions.  See her works in Guiding Winds: Rosalia Torres-Weiner now through October 15, 2023 at The Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, NC.