Josie Gonzalez

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Josie Gonzalez (b. New York, NY) is a visual artist of Puerto Rican/Borikéña descent, who lives and works in New York City. As a teen artist, she apprenticed under Jorge Soto Sanchez at the Taller Boricua/Puerto Rican Art Workshop in El Barrio/East Harlem, and created community murals with CityArts. She embraces her interest in building and representing community through her murals and public art works that can be found throughout NYC.

In addition to her passion for public art, she has a dedicated studio practice where she is creating a new series of small paintings and mixed media artworks. Starting in 2026, she has been contributing to the Rafael Tufino Printshop collective projects, creating hand-carved linoleum block prints that reflect Puerto Rican identity, culture and activism.

She is committed to her art education practice, and has piloted and led museum education programs for multiple NYC museums. Her artwork has also been featured in multiple museum group and employee art exhibitions. Josie Gonzalez has an M.A. in Museum Studies from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

Featured Artwork

"'Rise Up,' by Josie Gonzalez, installed at Third Avenue and 164th Street, features a mythical bird that has elements of the Phoenix, Thunderbird, Puerto Rican parrot and Quetzal. The Taino-inspired pictographs in black and white on each side of the steps tell the story of her experience with painting this artwork, which she painted using a combination of masonry paint and spray paint." - Josie Gonzalez — Josie Gonzalez. Rise Up, 2017. Acrylic on concrete stairway, 25 x 10 feet Installed at Third Avenue and 164th Street, Bronx, NY. Photograph documentation by Will Albright.

These faceted glass panels by Josie Gonzalez explore the movement of bodies through space, with figures of children sliding, swinging, running, and tossing balls. — Josie Gonzalez. Children at Play, 2005. 14 faceted glass windows, 3' h x 2' w. Image courtesy of the artist.

This painting shows a woman at the water's edge of the ocean. Her bare feet are sinking into the wet sand and she is at peace. — Josie Gonzalez. Visions, 1996. Pigment and acrylic medium on canvas, 26" h x 32" w. Image is courtesy of the artist

Siam, a humpback whale flashes his tail out of the water by Rincón. — Josie Gonzalez. "Siam near Rincón, Puerto Rico", 2026. Hand-carved linoleum block print, 18" x 24". Image courtesy of the artist.

Resources

Children at Play (2005) - Four faceted glass panels at NYCT Woodlawn Station

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Artists transform concrete steps into vibrant murals (2017)

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Two New Bronx Murals Encourage Pedestrians to Take the Stairs, NEXTCITY

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