ABOUT US
Where Art Happens
TU ARTE is a nonprofit that connects artists with community projects and teaching opportunities. Every class purchased supports these creative initiatives.
Our Story
TU ARTE is a creative space in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico where artists can teach, learn, and exhibit, fostering individual creativity and providing entrepreneurship opportunities for artists and instructors. It also offers the art curious the chance to engage in classes with local and international talent.
Our one-for-one class model ensures that for every class purchased, another one is funded for the community, making art education accessible and impactful.
Meet Our Artists
Touch the arrow to reveal the artist's information
Our artists are a dynamic and diverse group who thrive on collaboration and collective creativity. United by a shared commitment to art and community, they bring a wealth of talent and unique perspectives, spanning a wide range of disciplines–from performance art and painting to sculpture and large-scale installations. Together, they form a motivated collective, each contributing their distinct skills to create powerful and transformative artistic experiences.
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Rowan St. Clair
Rowan St. Clair
Founder of TU ARTE, Teacher,
and Multidisciplinary Artist
Born in New York, Rowan is the founder of TU ARTE.
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Her connection to Puerto Rico began in childhood, joining her father on surf trips, and deepened in 2018 when she returned to volunteer after Hurricane María—and never left. Since then, she's led projects from farmer's markets to art classes and university lectures, with her focus now fully on TU ARTE.
Rowan's murals can be found throughout Puerto Rico, celebrating the island's vibrant landscapes and spirit. Her most recent accomplishment, a 30-foot 3D cement mural, adorns the rooftop of Mar y Rosa restaurant, blending artistry with architectural impact. Much like her murals, her oil-on-canvas work captures the Island's natural beauty, with her latest series focusing on singular subjects that evoke the powerful essence of each moment. Through these pieces, Rowan invites viewers to pause, reflect, and find beauty within the ever-shifting currents of daily life.
Alan Wong
Alan Wong is an abstract deconstructive artist who explores the interplay of acrylics, sculpture, and digital illustration in his work.
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Alan is a multidisciplinary Mexican artist currently based in Puerto Rico. Holding a bachelor's degree in health science, his deep interest in anatomy and psychology profoundly influences his artistic style. Wong’s work serves as a tribute to human diversity, exploring themes of symbolism, human anatomy, and religion. Through the fusion of these essential elements of humanity, he creates both celestial and grotesque figures that embody the beauty and vulnerability of the human experience. By crafting abstract entities, Wong celebrates the evolution of both the body and the psyche.
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Alan is a co-founder and project manager of TU ARTE, where he not only oversees project operations but also teaches classes and leads live drawing sessions.
Co-creator of TU ARTE and
Multidisciplinary Artist
Painter and Performer
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Jennifer Pérez
Jennifer Pérez
“Diasporican” psychedelic painter born in 1995 in North Carolina, currently based in San Juan Puerto Rico.
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A multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on celebrating femininity in its many forms, Her creations range from vibrant abstract paintings to intricate nail art, and performance. Recently, Jennifer’s art has expanded into realism, adding depth and nuance to her creative repertoire. Each piece, whether abstract or lifelike, is a testament to her dedication to empowerment, encouraging viewers to celebrate individuality.
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Jennifer is currently collaborating with TU ARTE; she was recently sponsored to complete a community mural in Puerta De Tierra and will be teaching workshops with us.
Luis Gabriel Sanabria is a dynamic multidisciplinary artist from Puerto Rico.
He earned his BA in Acting and Performing Arts and an MA in Cultural Agency and Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. Growing up between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic sparked his early exploration of identity and culture. Since 2014, he has been a vital member of the renowned Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont, where he works as an artist, performer, instructor, and operations manager. His work with the theater has taken him across the United States, Canada, Central America, and Europe, including notable participation in the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières, France, in 2019. He co-founded the Kuniklo Collective, a multimedia art group that showcased a solo exhibition titled "Bohíque" at the Roberto Paradise art gallery in San Juan in 2016. His most recent solo exhibition, "Carnaval Carnal," was held in 2022 at Souvenir 154 in San Juan.
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As an artist from a territory grappling with ongoing colonization, my work delves into identity through the lens of carnival characters. I aim to narrate both individual and collective histories by drawing from ancient performative traditions.
Sculptor and Visual Designer
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Luis Gabriel Sanabria
Painter, Educator,
​and Muralist
Javi Cintrón
Javi Cintrón
Javier Cintrón is a Puerto Rican artist whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and the connection between cultural heritage and contemporary experience. Known for his mastery of mixed media, Javier combines traditional and modern techniques to create pieces that evoke both nostalgia and forward-looking innovation. His art often features rich textures, vibrant colors, and layered symbolism, reflecting the dynamic spirit of Puerto Rican culture.
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Javier’s work has been exhibited in galleries and public spaces across the island and beyond, engaging audiences with its blend of personal storytelling and broader social commentary. Through his unique visual language, Javier invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of history, memory, and community in a globalized world. He is currently collaborating with Tu ARTE and teaching workshops, further enriching the local art community.
Jacqui Martínez
Jacqui Martinez is a Honduran Artist and Educator, raised in Pasadena, California. Her works are often in Acyclic, Mixed Media, and Murals.
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She obtained her B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz and has her M.A. from New York University in Art Education.​Jacqui has exhibited her work, hosted workshops and has taught in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Mexico City, Tanzania, Colorado, New York and Puerto Rico widening her perspective in her field. Her work has been published in FoKUS Magazine, Dance Mogul Magazine, Mujeres De Maíz Zine, amongst others.
Her hopes are to have her work included in more dialogues and education that spark environmental and social change. Jacqui is a teaching artist and muralist collaborating with TU ARTE initiatives.
Painter and Muralist
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Model, Educator,
and Muralist
Ana Kilgore
Ana Kilgore
From an early age, she was captivated by natural landscapes and intrigued by the complex relationships between human communities and ecological systems. Her journey has taken her from the arid deserts of the Southwest, where she was raised, to the lush tropical forests of Puerto Rico, which she first encountered while pursuing a master’s degree in ecology at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.​
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At TU ARTE, she works as an artist-in-residence, model, and educator.
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Her work as a teaching artist and muralist reflects a unique fusion of science and creativity. Informed by her background in ecology, particularly the concepts of landscape memory and resilience. Ana’s artistic practice explores the dynamic processes of ecological change and the imprints left behind by both disturbance and recovery. Through community engagement and large-scale public art, she invites others to consider their own place within these living systems.
Jason Ayala
Jason is a cartoonist with over 15 years of experience in graphic storytelling. He is the founder of Xpin-off Universe, an award-winning comic book company that received the Best Studio award at Puerto Rico Comic Con in 2012.
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He currently serves as president, writer, illustrator, and creative director of the company, where he creates original titles such as Starbrakers.
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In addition to his creative work, Jason is a dedicated teaching artist with TU ARTE. He has promoted the use of comics as an educational tool in diverse settings, including the Taller de Fotoperiodismo in Old San Juan and the Colegio Paso a Paso de tu Mano. Jason remains deeply committed to the comic book medium, continuing to create original works and contributing as a storyboard artist and scriptwriter in audiovisual productions.​​
Illustrator, Educator,
Writer, and Cartoonist
Designer, Painter,
and Tattoo Artist
Félix "Mr. Cruz"
Félix "Mr. Cruz"
Félix "Mr. Cruz" Cruz is one of our artists-in-residence at TU ARTE. Originally from Humacao, Puerto Rico, he carries the Boricua essence across Puerto Rico, from San Juan to Cabo Rojo, through each of his works.
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Trained as an industrial engineer, Félix is now deeply immersed in artistic exploration. As a multidisciplinary artist, he experiments with tattooing, design, and acrylic painting, blending techniques and styles into a unique artistic voice.
Jomar Morales
Jomar Morales Morales is a multidisciplinary artist from Bayamón, Puerto Rico and a current artist-in-residence at TU ARTE.
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His work explores realism through various media, including ink and dry materials. Known for his distinctive style and live model drawing sessions, Jomar's artistic practice focuses on the continuous study of anatomy, portraiture, and the movement of the human body.
Realist, Anatomy, and
Multidisciplinary Artist
Sculptor and Ceramic Artist
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Nivia Toro López
Nivia Toro López
Nivia Toro López is a ceramic artist from San Germán, Puerto Rico, who creates functional pieces infused with sculptural elements. Her work explores themes of sadness while celebrating what is often rejected, offering a powerful narrative about existing unapologetically. Through her art, Nivia invites us to embrace presence and self-manifestation without waiting for external acceptance.
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Her stay in TU ARTE brings her creative freedom. For Nivia, TU ARTE has become more than a studio, it has become a nurturing place where artists can develop, connect, and cultivate their craft among peers.
Luna Doherty-Ryoke
Luna Doherty-Ryoke is a multi-media and multi-cultural artist based out of Brooklyn, New York and Boston, Massachusetts. She's a painter, drawer, animator, and a fine arts illustrator.
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Luna's stay in TU ARTE deeply impacted her creativity by allowing her to think about what she wants to create and say because, compared to the city life, being in Puerto Rico has given her the opportunity to take more time for herself. Being around other people who like to create as well and be surrounded by Puerto Rico's nature has also helped Luna expand her creativity.
Painter, Animator,
Drawer, and Illustrator
Director, Writer,
and Video Editor
Jake De Pinto
Jake De Pinto
Jake De Pinto is a New York-based video editor, director, and writer. He has been making movies for as long as he can remember.
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De Pinto has always longed to create films as painters' paint.​ He embraces a flowing, iterative process. His detail-oriented work engages in multidisciplinary experimentation, using video, photo, practical effects and animation to blur the line between fiction and non-fiction. He's into collaging and stop motion with people.​ De Pinto's work explores magical realism and artistic process through the lens of interpersonal relationships, often using himself and non-actor to tell his stories.
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De Pinto's stay in TU ARTE and Puerto Rico's nature and community has inspired his creativity and curiosity. TU ARTE has given him the opportunity to focus on himself and his growth in a fun-safe way.
Jean Carlos Valentín
Jean Carlos Valentín Velilla is a Puerto Rican visual artist and doctoral candidate in Art Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). With over a decade of experience teaching visual arts at both the K-12 and university levels across Puerto Rico and the U.S., his work explores queer Puerto Rican masculinities through drawing and ethnographic research. His artistic practice is deeply intertwined with his academic exploration of gender, sexuality, and philosophical discussions surrounding the body and teaching as an embodied practice.
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Jean Carlos has taught visual arts foundations, supervised pre-service art teachers at the university level, and advised interdisciplinary students, enriching their practices by expanding their content knowledge and media expertise. He has received notable awards such as the prestigious Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship, a highly selective award given to outstanding art graduates from top institutions, and the Art & Design Spring Competition: Art & Research Grant at UIUC. These accolades reflect his continued commitment to his craft and to community art education.
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Beyond his academic and teaching role, Jean Carlos has collaborated with organizations like the Instituto de Orientación y Terapia Familiar (INOTEF), where he designed a leadership and art therapy program for social workers and psychologists. He keeps exhibiting his work in both academic and public settings, using art as a tool to unravel dialogue, challenge societal norms, and deepen understanding of identity and culture. He is currently seeking collaborative opportunities and looking to expand his work with higher education.
Professor, Researcher,
and Visual Artist
