TEGUCIGALPA – The U.S. Embassy hosted acclaimed muralist and State Department Cultural Envoy, Michelle Ortiz, for a week-long community mural project. Through a grant given by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ortiz worked with members of the Colonia Estados Unidos neighborhood in Tegucigalpa to create a mural that highlights issues affecting the community with the help of local artists Walter Figueroa, Wendy Meraz and others.

The mural, entitled “My Community is Coming Out, There’s Beauty in my Community, We Have Potential” addresses security, youth empowerment, family and environment. The project was made possible through collaborations with Alianza Joven Honduras-USAID, which ensured Ortiz’s reception into the community.

A native of Philadelphia, Ortiz was raised by a Puerto Rican father and a Colombian mother. She has traveled to several countries in Latin America sharing her expertise in mural art work.