"When Pigs Fly" by muralists Rei Ramirez and Ivan Roque demonstrates the power of art to literally stop traffic and spark a conversation with friends, neighbors and total strangers. True art challenges us to confront ourselves and each other. To respond to the critical issues of the day and of our lives. To question our [...]
"I asked you not to throw them at me when you dance" (60" x 40") is a photograph from The Quarks, a series of micro stories revelaed through light. This image, like most of the photos in the series, was taken on the 4th of July or New Year's Eve. The photograph captures the aftermath [...]
I'm happy to announce that Reading Queer is a finalist for a 2016 Knight Arts Challenge grant along with 68 individuals and organizations using the arts to transform the community. “The Miami of today is radically different from the Miami of 2008 when we first launched this challenge. Artists and cultural organizations have pushed this [...]
Sometimes there's nothing you can do but go with the chaos and lean into it. Learn from it (even if it feels like it's going to drown you). Giving in isn't giving up. "The Invasion of Hoth (or where I left my phone)" is an image from The Quarks, a series of micro stories made [...]
Photography calms, especially when I discover beauty in error. These small catastrophes sucker punch the insidious drive for perfection that moves me. "Crisis of Conscience" comes out of the conflict between error & perfection and opens up the possibility of seeing beauty in different manifestations. Recognizing that perfection isn't an end in itself, but a [...]
Life is exhausting and hectic, but I finally had the opportunity to stay still and work on a new image from the Quarks, which is a series of micro stories made visible through light. This is an excerpt from "When we rise, we rise together". The title was inspired by Michelle Obama's speech to the [...]
Egos are fragile. The words we speak and the actions we take impact how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive the world. Sometimes the impact is negligible. Sometimes not. Today, I convinced one of our creative writing/digital storytelling interns to perform one of her original songs. I had heard her quietly singing off stage [...]
Herb Sosa interviewed me for Ambiente Magazine. "Have you ever been at a loss for words? Maybe searched for people that think & express themselves in ways you can relate to, or make you think? Did you think you had to leave the comfort of your beach chair and fly up north to find some Queer culture? Neil de [...]
It's the end of week 1, day 3, of the ArtWorks Creative Writing/Digital Storytelling Cohort. It's been a tough week and it's hard for me to write about it because I don't feel equipped to speak, at least not in a meaningful and helpful way. I just want to shout. When the ArtWorks program began, [...]
It's day 1, week 1 of the 2016 ArtWorks Creative Writing/Digital Storytelling cohort. The cohort consists of 11 student interns (selected from the visual and performing arts cooperatives) interested in telling their stories in digital format. From blogging to creating short documentary films, each intern will design their own innovative project. We will meet for [...]
Neil de la Flor 