Riis Artist Brightens the Halls & Brings the Community Together
When people step off the elevator onto the second floor at 1225 FDR Drive, they are transported into a colorful spring garden made of paper flowers, trees, and birds. The artwork decorating the hallway, walls, and ceiling in the Riis Houses development was created by resident Minerva Diaz, a visual artist who handcrafted each piece in the kitchen she grew up in.
Ms. Diaz began decorating the hallway last October when she spotted a neighbor decorating for the holidays and decided to join in. One paper snowflake grew into a winter wonderland complete with a large train, penguins, owls, sleds, and more.
Ms. Diaz was raised with her six siblings at the development and moved out when she was 17. After her mother, Virginia Pizarro, passed away in 2020, she moved back in to be a caregiver to her brother who has autism. “My brother is 47 and this is the only home he knows; for me to move him out of here would be devastating,” she said.
Her hallway art is both re-introducing her to neighbors and bringing neighbors together. For New Year’s Eve, some neighbors gathered in the hallway to ring in the new year together, which “just shows how art and care can bring the community together and change a community for the better,” Ms. Diaz said.
In early April, she transformed the hallway for spring by replacing snowflakes with colorful flowers and birds. Crafting the paper pieces by hand in her mother’s kitchen feels like an homage to her mom: “I used to do this for her for Christmas. She was in a wheelchair, and it was challenging for her to walk, so I created a Christmas card room at a gallery I managed. That’s how I started doing this form of art. I only did it for my mother and had never done it for the public before. It’s a beautiful way to remember my mom and a beautiful way to engage the community.”
Art has been a long-time love of hers: “I’m a twin and since I was a little girl, when my mother used to ground us, I’d draw on the walls in the room. The next time she grounded me, she gave me paper and crayons. I was still grounded, but she always supported my work.”
She is best known for her socially conscious portraits created with pencil, pastel, and acrylic, gaining recognition for a drawing of Barack Obama when he was a senator. He signed her work, which led to autographed drawings of other influential individuals, such as ballet dancer Misty Copeland, Senator Bernie Sanders, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and more. (See her art portfolio here.)
She didn’t start seriously pursuing art until around 2008; until then, she was a painter with District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, a heating/ventilation/air conditioning engineer at Disney – ABC, and a road-producer in the auto industry.
Her artwork, as well as her arts business expertise, are assets to the community: Ms. Diaz formerly managed the Dwyer Cultural Center in Harlem, which supports Harlem’s artists and arts organizations and promotes the neighborhood’s cultural life.
Ms. Diaz’s hallway installations have opened her eyes to a new path: “The tenants have received this with warmth. I love seeing the kids see the installation. I love sharing my art with the neighborhood I grew up in and want to share more. I’d love to open a cultural center here and tell the stories of the people who’ve helped make the community.”
