Celebrating Puerto Rico's Resilience

“If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.” – Shane Koyczan

“Si tu corazón está roto, haz arte con las piezas.” – Shane Koyczan

We are so grateful for the generous and visionary support of the mayor of Añasco, Puerto Rico, acclaimed actress Luna Velez, Project Refuge PR, FEMA, NY Disaster Interfaith Services, Power Malu, and #PaLantePR to empower students in Puerto Rico to celebrate their beautiful resilience after Hurricane Maria through public art. The phenomenal high school and college students of Ciudad Museo PR crushed their mural making in one day.

Below is an Instagram diary from the trip. Scroll through the posts for photos and videos.

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Painting in Puerto Rico. There is so much about this last trip that I haven’t even processed yet, but I’m so excited about the possibilities for the future. We will stay committed to helping the Island, especially the hardest hit places, to continue growing strong. #prselevanta #puertorico #roots #art #growth #service #love ✨

A post shared by Luna Lauren Velez (@lalunavelez) on Oct 3, 2018 at 6:21am PDT

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So excited and grateful to be in Barrio Playa, Añasco in #puertorico as part of a collaboration with @projectrefugepr @nydisnet @nycthrive @velezkaim and @ciudadmuseopr . Thank you to the Mayor of Anasco for his support and for bringing us together with the community. #prselevanta #thrive #strongertogether #bringartback #artist #community #love ✨

A post shared by Luna Lauren Velez (@lalunavelez) on Sep 23, 2018 at 8:22am PDT

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"If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces." – Shane Koyczan | "Si tu corazón está roto, haz arte con las piezas". – Shane Koyczan Privileged to work this weekend with the mayor of Añasco and students from @ciudadmuseopr , along with @fema @projectrefugepr @lalunavelez @nydisnet @velezkaim @jwillsoto @powermalu @pantoja_joshua and #PaLantePR to celebrate Puerto Rico's beautiful resilience since Hurricane Maria. Excited for the future! Check out more from the trip on IG at @nycthrive. #WeAreThrive #BringArtBack

A post shared by Jeremy R. Del Rio (@jeremyrdelrio) on Sep 25, 2018 at 6:27am PDT

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"If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces." – Shane Koyczan | "Si tu corazón está roto, haz arte con las piezas". – Shane Koyczan Inspired by the Run for Barrio Playa (Corre por Barrio Playa), and the neighborhood school that has been closed since Hurricane Maria destroyed it. Privileged to work with the local mayor and students from @ciudadmuseopr , along with @fema @projectrefugepr @lalunavelez @nydisnet @velezkaim @jwillsoto #PaLantePR to reimagine the campus as a community and culture hub for Añasco. #WeAreThrive #BringArtBack

A post shared by Thrive Collective (@nycthrive) on Sep 24, 2018 at 6:39am PDT

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Working together is hard. We've all experienced the cliches about too many chefs, the nightmares of turf wars, the ineptitude and corruption of modern political grandstanding. That's why we celebrate the small things, like communities rallying to overcome despair with a plate of food, a bag of groceries, building materials, and of course public art. Thank you #PaLantePR @projectrefugepr @lalunavelez @nydisnet @ciudadmuseopr @velezkaim for reminding us why we're better together, even if we have to work a little harder to get there. #WeAreThrive #BringArtBack

A post shared by Thrive Collective (@nycthrive) on Sep 23, 2018 at 9:26am PDT

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead | Grateful for the students from @ciudadmuseopr who bravely shared their Hurricane Maria resilience stories through public art in Barrio Playa yesterday. Inspired by the great work of @projectrefugepr @lalunavelez @nydisnet @velezkaim @jwillsoto #PaLantePR throughout the island, and especially in Añasco. #WeAreThrive #BringArtBack

A post shared by Thrive Collective (@nycthrive) on Sep 23, 2018 at 7:05am PDT

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Grateful for the generous and visionary support of the mayor of Añasco, @lalunavelez @projectrefugepr @jwillsoto @nydisnet @velezkaim and #PaLantePR as we empower students in Puerto Rico to celebrate their resilience after Hurricane Maria through public art. Grateful for the phenomenal collaboration with the high school and college students of @ciudadmuseopr who crushed their mural making in one day! #WeAreThrive #BringArtBack #CreateWithUs @nycschools @nyculture

A post shared by Thrive Collective (@nycthrive) on Sep 22, 2018 at 6:48pm PDT

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The TEAM! Special thank you to @lalunavelez @nycthrive for promoting the importance of art. #projectrefugepr #prselevanta

A post shared by Project Refuge PR (@projectrefugepr) on Sep 22, 2018 at 10:29am PDT

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#Repost @projectrefugepr ・・・ Meet Christopher and Gabby from @ciudadmuseopr Today we are in Barrio Playa partnering with this team and @lalunavelez @nycthrive to create a mural for the town 🙏🏽 ART is essential for the spirit #projectrefugepr #barrioplaya #oneyearlater

A post shared by Thrive Collective (@nycthrive) on Sep 22, 2018 at 7:26am PDT