Trapped Artists

In her Advanced Creative Topics project, “Trapped Artists,” Heidi Benitez Nolasco (SHP ’25) delved into the untapped creative potential within multiple generations of her family, with a focus on those stifled by life’s obligations. The resulting collection, showcased at last year’s Visual Arts exhibit in the Campbell Center, included photography and Aztec- and Mayan-inspired mixed-media paintings.

“I started this series to learn more about the creativity that exists in my family and why it is not expressed very often,” says Benitez Nolasco. “I aimed to give my family members the opportunity to explore and share their true artistic selves.”

The idea for “Trapped Artists” began after a conversation with her grandmother, who shared about always wanting to become a seamstress and fashion designer. As a child, she would sneak into her aunt’s sewing room, drawn by the soft hum of the machines. There, she secretly used the machines and taught herself how to sew.

As an adult, both work and family obligations left her grandmother with scant time to pursue her dream of fashion design. Benitez Nolasco invited her to collaborate on designing three skirts for a portrait and documented the entire process. “The photographs of her accessing her passion became an integral part of my project, revealing her transformation from a ‘trapped artist’ into one who is freed,” says Benitez Nolasco.

She then went on to create portraits of her mother and father. Her mother, who had always dreamed of becoming a singer while also being skilled at sketching flowers, “is creative in infinite ways.” A vibrant, floral mixed-media painting became a companion piece to the photographic portraits—both show her mother belting out in song, with flowers woven around her. Her father’s portraits, meanwhile, also honor a floral connection. After immigrating from Mexico, he grew plants that helped memories of his homeland continue to flourish.

In all, the project allowed Benitez Nolasco to more deeply acknowledge “the opportunities I’ve had because of my family’s sacrifices,” she says. “Trapped Artists” highlights how art serves as a transformative means of personal expression and a way to honor family history.