I love to explore and to share things that are not always so easily acceptable or known. Each piece not only has a reason, but shares a story/history of myself and personal journeys of self discovery.
Bio
Niki Lopez is a Afro-Latina, Queer, award-winning interdisciplinary Visual Artist, Curator, Activist, Social Practitioner, Cultural Programmer and mother. Known for her vibrant color palette, masks and a collection of works dealing with some of her past traumas and healing through the arts.
Founder of “What’s Your Elephant” a movement that creates safe spaces and uses the arts to address the unspoken.
“Art allows me to voice an opinion, challenge a perspective, and inspire change.”
Niki has donated artwork to support various causes such as World AIDS MUSEUM, Human Rights Campaign and Equality Florida.
The 2019 Co-Grand Marshall of Wilton Manors/Stonewall Pride as the ‘Future of Advocacy’ and a 2020 recipient of Broward County’s Arts & Culture Visionaries Award by ArtServe.
Lopez hosts and produces The Circle. The Circle: LIVE with Niki Lopez is a series sharing stories of our creative community, activists & social entrepreneurs. The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month 8:30-9 PM EST on: http://facebook.com/nikilopezcreative or https://www.youtube.com/c/Nikilopez19 After the recording, it’s turned to a podcast and can be found on Spotify, Apple, Google and Amazon podcasts platforms.
Current projects include The #AyaArtsProject. Where she is curating and engaging the community in artmaking, virtual programming and art acquisition for a permanent installation for a new affordable housing community for seniors in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale and Atlantic Pacific Communities. Also the #SankofaArtsProject for the LA Lee Mizell YMCA Community Center. This Community Arts & Engagement Project seeks to engage the community and use the arts incorporated into the new building to preserve and celebrate the rich history of Sistrunk. Lopez is also an advocate for mental health, wellness and diversity in aquatics.
Affiliation include: Board Member of Island City Theater, Board Member of Diversity In Aquatics Masters Swimming & Triathlon Club, Board Member of Center for Sustainable Healthy Equitable Communities aka The SHE Lens, Advisory Council of Women in Network (WIN) and Founding Ambassador Member of LA LEE YMCA’s Victory Theater II.
The non-restrictive lines and patterns in her work speaks to her search for a medium that most closely embodies the freedom one finds in true self-expression…Paint! Her work has been seen in magazines, newspapers, on the web, and television such as: – WeMerge Magazine, Fort Lauderdale Homes Magazine, South Florida Times, The Parklander, Sun-Sentinal and Fort Lauderdale New Times, just to name a few.
