Erica Morales

United States, 1980

Morales grew up witnessing the devastation wrought by the Bronx fires and crack cocaine epidemic, both of which displaced countless Latinx and African American families, including her own. As a child, Morales found that making art was a way to escape the grim reality of her surroundings and her early drawings were strongly influenced by the comic books she read and the graffiti art of her neighborhood.

Now, as a higher education professional, Morales is dedicated to strengthening support for students in critical areas such as LGBTQ services, multicultural affairs and academic affairs.  In this vein, she advocates for vulnerable populations and serves communities of color through multiple avenues.  Along these same lines, Morales’ artwork offers insight into social norms and narratives in need of reexamination.   Her figures are evocative yet their faces are without detail, thus the artist depicts humanness without bias and illuminates the human experience, not through facial expression but rather, through color and composition.

Morales earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2003 from the School of Visual Arts with an emphasis in drawing and a Master of Arts in 2010 from New York University in Higher Education Administration.