Lizette Cruz
16 W 120 Street Apt. #2
New York, NY 10027
tel: (212) 860-8587
email: cruzadarte@yahoo.com

A native of Old San Juan, Lizette began cultivating her love to create colors at an early age. A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore; where she studied with Sharon Yates and Howie Weiss. In this institution she received two Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees, one in Graphic Design, (1985), and the other in Painting, (1986). During the summertime she took workshops at the “Escuela de Arte Plástica in Old San Juan under Julio Suárez and other artists. On her return to Puerto Rico, she worked for several years in the advertising industry. Her first experience with silk screen printing was at workshops in Old San Juan, where she learned and worked the medium with local masters such as Carlos Irizarry and Lisette Rosado, in the early 1990’s.

She then established her own silkscreen workshop, designing and hand printing posters to announce cultural activities and commemorative events. She reproduced paintings of other local artists as well as her own hand printed silk-screens. From 1993 to 1995 she attended the “Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe” to get a Master’s Degree in Puerto Rican Studies. During this time, she worked on mounting exhibitions of fine art and social studies at the “Museo de Las Américas”, located in El Cuartel de Ballajá, Old San Juan.
Lizette Cruz

From 2002 to 2004 she was a co-founder and co-owner of the “collective” known as “Cayo Caribe, Galería, Taller, Artist Community”. This studio was located in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. As a member of the group, she exhibited her art work, organized cultural events and art and music workshops in the community. During 2006 she completed advanced graphic techniques studies at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, with Evelyn García.

She has had individual exhibits, as well as participated in collective shows in Puerto Rico, United States, Dominican Republic and Mexico. Recently she relocated to NYC to continue working and experimenting with painting, graphics and mixed mediums. Her work gets inspiration from her Hispanic roots and the rich diversity of the tropics. She creates images of brilliant colors where she interprets the myths and symbolism of her culture, and the social and political issues confronted by society.

© Lizette Cruz