Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist/ skilled muralist/ community arts educator who uses her art as a vehicle to represent people and communities whose histories are often lost or co-opted. Her work tells stories using richly crafted and emotive imagery to claim and transform "blighted" spaces into a visual affirmation that reveals the strength and spirit of the community. As a highly skilled muralist, Ortiz has designed and created over 30 large-scale public works nationally and internationally (Fiji, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica & Argentina). She is a United States Embassy Cultural Envoy, a fellow of the 2011 NALAC Fund for the Arts and recipient of the 2008 Leeway Foundation Transformation Award.