Ele Eme Project

Socially Engaged Art, Landscape Transformation & Public Space Beautification.

We Paint Songs! All the interventions have Music as main inspiration, the concept and name of the pieces have at least one song that supports the idea of the work, either through lyrics (typography) or visual representations of the theme. There’s also a constant reference to elements of the Colombian and Latin American Culture.

The Ele Eme Project (@LMProject) was created by Colombian-born Staten Island-based artist Lina Montoya. Graphic Artist & Designer.

Cantadora de Historias, Pintante
de Canciones e Inventora de Worlds.

Artist Statement

“My artistic practice is driven by my immigrant experience, the murals, paintings and installations intend to ‘sing’ songs about migration, personal experiences and stories about communities; this journey has taken me to explore and reflect the dualism of the world as an ‘Immigrant Artist’.
Nature, music, literature and Latin American culture inspired me, I celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity through graphic design, social practice and collaborative art making processes, a diverse range of materials such as paint, plastics, metals, upcycled materials, and everyday objects are being transformed to beautify spaces and make public art. The construction of semi-permanent or temporary interventions have the objective to open dialogues about local and global issues between locals and visitors, generate sense of belonging and demonstrate that we all have the power to transform, inspire and change society at large creating a positive impact in our world.”

Artist Bio

Graphic Designer, Muralist, and Teaching Artist, born and raised in Medellín, Colombia. Based in New York City since 2010.

Founder of the LM Project, an artistic initiative developed between the US and Latin America to exchange “Magical Experiences” through socially engaged art for public space beautification and community engagement. Founder of “La Isla Bonita Summer Festival”, a yearly cultural happening established in 2015 which would celebrate Staten Island’s diversity, promoting accessible, family-friendly local and global arts and culture.

Since 2001 she has been developing two on-going series of public art, one focuses in NYC and the other in Latin America and places she has travel to, including her hometown in Colombia and other countries such as Mexico, Panama and more recently Malta. Besides the Workshops and art-making activities she leads to create temporary or indoor pieces, more than 60 large scale artworks have been installed or painted during the past years where she participated, through residencies at NYC Public Schools, working with Community-based organizations, Art Grants, private commissions, public agencies, including collaborations with other artists to paint at Community Centers, NYC Housing Developments and Rikers Island.

Montoya has been supported, worked in partnership and recognized by the NYC Department of Transportation, Staten Island Council of the Arts, Wagner College, Port Richmond Partnership, City Parks Foundation, NYC Parks UNIQLO Arts Expressions Grant, Long Island City Partnership, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, NYU Dream Team, El Centro del Inmigrante, Police Atheltic League, NYC Murals Arts Project, Richmond County Savings Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, Staten Island Museum, Universal Temple of the Arts, NYU Wallerstein Collaborative, Groundswell Community Mural Project, Colombian Consulate in NYC and Sundog Theatre.

LINA MARCELA MONTOYA MUÑOZ

Multidisciplinary Artist
Public Art and Cultural Productions.

Contact: (+1) 347.355.6708
montoyalinam@gmail.com

 

CV to download -PDF

Portafolio to download-PDF