Fostering a More Just Society Through Verdadism Art: With Words and Paintings Since 1992
LINDENWOLD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES: According to Soraida, “Awareness is everything. I feel that most people are sleeping through life…many times not being aware of what’s happening around them. My hope is that, through my Verdadism Art, I can make some social change and help others empower themselves with their own truth.”
Soraida Martinez is an accomplished artist who since 1992 has been promoting tolerance and social justice with her Verdadism paintings and social commentaries. All paintings and social commentaries created by the artist are based on her personal life experiences and depict messages of hope and self-empowerment.
Soraida Martinez was born in New York City during the social upheavals of the late 1960s to early 1970s, when the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement were in the spotlight of American society. This upbringing is what inspires the artist to create paintings with social commentaries that depict the universal human condition.
Recognized as one of the 15 most prominent Hispanic-Americans shaping the U.S. cultural scene, Soraida Martinez is a formally trained artist and designer; since 1986, she has been the owner of an art and design studio. A former member of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the artist is best known for creating the unique art of Verdadism in 1986.
Many Verdadism paintings have been used on the covers and pages of national and international scholarly books teaching the same social issues that the artist had previously addressed years ago. Educators are using the artist's paintings and social commentaries to teach students about tolerance and creative ways of thinking about life. According to Soraida, “Art can plant a seed in someone's mind.”
Verdadism has influenced many artists, writers, thinkers and students. In 1999, the artist wrote a book on her art: “Soraida’s Verdadism: The Intellectual Voice of a Puerto Rican Woman on Canvas; Unique, Controversial Images and Style.”
The Verdadism Art Exhibition runs from Friday, October 8th to Friday, November 12th. A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, October 15th, from 6 - 8 PM.
The Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts is located at 22 N High St, Millville, New Jersey.
