Emilia Cruz

Emilia Cruz (1993) is a Mexican-American artist known for her oil and acrylic portraits depicting women of color (2). She has a vibrant style that consists of nature and supernatural elements (2).

Biography

Emilia Cruz was born in 1993 in San Diego, CA and raised in Simi Valley, CA (1). She currently resides in Ventura County, CA (3). As a child, she traveled back and forth to Tijuana, B.C., Mexico to visit family (1). Emilia attended Atherwood Elementary School and Royal High School (1). She is pursuing a BA in Illustration at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA (1). While studying, she teaches classes to young artists between the ages 3-12 at Plaza de La Raza located in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA (2). She has recently been commissioned by CNN en Espanol for 'Proyecto Ser Humano' and Netlflix series 'Gente-fied' (1). One of her best-known paintings is titled "Am I too dark?" (1).  

Art  

SPARC, Venice, CA, When She Rises

Emilia Cruz’s artwork was featured in the When She Rises exhibition at SPARC in Venice, CA in 2018 (3). The theme of the exhibition revolves around social justice and ecology, and it’s relation to the artist and their community (5).

Netflix Series “Gente-fied”

Emilia Cruz’s artwork was commissioned to be a part of the Netlifx series “Gente-fied” in 2019 (2). Cruz’s artwork were the paintings that Ana Morales, the main character, paints in the series (2). Her main job was to create paintings of fictional characters (2).

CNN en Espanol, “Proyecto Ser Humano”

In 2019, Emilia Cruz was commissioned by CNN en Espanol to create a painting for “Proyecto ser Humano” (4). Her painting was expected to demonstrate diversity, inclusion, and solidarity (4).

References

1.    Salkin, Ezra. “Her Culture on Canvas: Simi Artist Creates Paintings for Netflix's 'Gentefied'.” Simi Valley Acorn -, July 16, 2021. https://www.simivalleyacorn.com/articles/her-culture-on-canvas-simi-artist-creates-paintings-for-netflixs-gentefied/

2.    Recinos, Eva. “Meet Emilia Cruz, the Painter behind Ana's Art on 'Gentefied'.” Remezcla, June 10, 2020. https://remezcla.com/features/culture/art-emilia-cruz-profile-netflix-gentefied/

3.    Flores Carmona, Judith. “Emilia Cruz.” Chicana/Latina Studies MALCS, January 21, 2022. https://journal.malcs.org/artistas/past-artists/emilia-cruz/

4.    Emilia Cruz, Pinceladas Contra La Discriminación.” CNN. Cable News Network, April 9, 2019. https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/video/ser-humano-arte-contra-discriminacion/?fbclid=IwAR328WnZepJPya9tT0ClrJ8n0XkPYySyXP8w9_pEdo_0n4Ek3yT3yAmztyU.

5.    “Womxn @ SPARC.” SPARCinLA, September 17, 2018. https://sparcinla.org/projects/when-she-rises/.

Further reading

·       https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-13/latino-gap-netflix-gentefied-on-my-block-boyle-heights-east-laLinks to an external site.

·       https://www.artcenter.edu/connect/dot-magazine/articles/emilia-cruz-illustration-netflix-gentefied.htmlLinks to an external site.

·       https://wearemitu.com/wearemitu/entertainment/artists-illustrate-their-love-for-selena-in-larger-than-life-murals/Links to an external site.

·       https://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/behind-the-scenes-gentefied-factsLinks to an external site.

·       https://laprensatexas.com/emilia-cruz-2/Links to an external site.

External links

·       Emilia Cruz WebsiteLinks to an external site.

·       Emilia Cruz Instagram