Mexican-born Andrea Arroyo was recently selected to receive the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award and is among the Seven Who Invent a Better Future, for ongoing project  Flor de Tierra, Homage to the Women of Juarez. The award is given to"outstanding leaders dedicated to improving women's lives

"When I was a professional dancer, I was fascinated by the female form," says Arroyo. "Soon after I became a visual artist, I began doing research on women's images. Since then, I have been intrigued not only by the female form, but also by female stories."

Not long after arriving in New York City as a dancer in 1983, Arroyo started experimenting with sculpture and drawings. She held her first solo exhibit, "Andrea Arroyo/Sculptures and Reliefs," five years later at On the Wall Gallery, which garnered a positive response from casual observers and art collectors. Her public art commissions, including "Harmony" (two relief murals) and "My City, My Planet, My Sun" (a series of large-faceted glass art panels), can be found at schools and subway stations in the Bronx.

Arroyo's latest project, "Flor de Tierra" ("Flower of the Earth"), looks to commemorate the women of Juarez, the border city in Mexico where more than 400 women have gone missing or been killed in the past 15 years. The phrase is also a Spanish expression that means something is buried or planted in a shallow place.

"I was appalled by the number of women who have been killed or missing and by the fact that the authorities have not taken proper measures to investigate or stop these crimes," says Arroyo.

Many of these victims were abandoned in the desert or buried in shallow graves, and Arroyo's project focuses on the vastness of their deaths. She's creating a pastel-on-paper drawing for each victim; to date, she's completed 230 of them.

"I feel privileged that I'm able to create art, so when I receive an award or acknowledgment I'm grateful and humbled," says Arroyo, who was named official artist for the 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards by the Latin Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006. She also received the Groundbreaking Latina in the Arts Award from "Catalina" magazine and the National Association of Latina Leaders in 2008.

In addition to "Flor de Tierra," Arroyo is working on "Flor de Vida" ("Flower of Life"). This project consists of brightly colored acrylic paintings based on historical and mythological women, such as Lilith, Athena, Cleopatra, Xochiquetzal and Frida Kahlo.

"In my work, female forms connect all women--linking the past with the present, the vulnerable with the indestructible."

http://www.womensenews.org/21Leaders

http://andreaarroyo.com