“I seek to share my art with others, with the hope of sparking a thoughtful conversation with the viewer. My goal is to shed light on some of the often-complex themes that I explore in my work,” says Priscilla Bell Lamberty, an artist originally from Philadelphia who grew up in the Hunting Park neighborhood.
A graduate of the Moore College of Art and Design with a master’s degree in painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Priscilla explores themes such as upbringing, environmental responsibility, and the representation of identities within the African diaspora and the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. In doing so, she draws inspiration from her family – “my mother is a first-generation Puerto Rican, and my father is African American”– as well as her environment and cultural traditions.
“I always knew who I was. I was all of those things, everything at once: proudly of African descent, proudly of Indigenous descent, and proudly Boricua.”
The painter has received various grants and awards in recognition of her contributions. Notable honors include the “Distinguished Alumna” award from the Community College of Philadelphia, as well as the titles of “Taíno Storyteller of the Year,” “Taíno Muralist of the Year,” and the “Phenomenal Woman Transformation Award.”
In addition to collaborating as an independent muralist with the organization Mural Arts Philadelphia and sharing her expertise as a painting instructor at the Fleisher Art Memorial, Priscilla also develops her own independent projects.
As an artist-in-residence at Galería Esperanza, she will open her exhibition “Memory/Place/Roots” on November 21. Through this body of work, she aims not only to share her art but also to foster a thoughtful dialogue with the viewer, shedding light on the complex themes she addresses in her practice. In her most recent artistic series, she asked people from the African diaspora and Indigenous communities “which plants called them back” and “which fruits they held in their memory.” Their responses were translated by Priscilla into paintings from life and community portraits.
Her activism found its voice both in her art and in the streets. She has participated in climate marches and carried out live-painting interventions to denounce the colonial crisis, “both on the island of Borikén and in the United States.”
Her work continued through collaborations with artist Anthony Torcasio, focusing on “boricua” identity and the disaster caused by Hurricane María.
The exhibition at Galería Esperanza will span her early explorations of identity and her activist-oriented works –born out of the climate struggle– up to the present day.
Priscilla is creating a space –both physical and spiritual– “so that my children and grandchildren may know who they are, just as my grandparents taught me: through presence, through laughter that wells up from deep within, and through a love that is not offered as a mere distraction, but as sustenance.”
The exhibition “Memory/Place/Roots: An exploration of territory, identity, and the stories we carry with us,” by Priscilla Bell Lamberty, will open at Galería Esperanza on November 19th.
More information: www.esperanzaartscenter.us
