999 Cranes
May 3-26, 2018

Joy
May 10-June 28, 2019

Silvia López Chavez, a Boston-based artist and graphic designer, believes in the power of the creative process as an agent for positive change. Born in the Dominican Republic, she draws inspiration from her Latin American roots, as well as from the role art plays in people’s need to connect with one another.

López Chavez’s mural at Northeastern covers the façade of Ruggles Station, one of the MBTA’s largest transit nodes. At nearly 10,000 square feet, it is one of the largest murals in Boston. The first part of the installation features a pair of hands clasping a paper crane, a reference to the ancient Japanese legend promising eternal happiness to anyone who folds 1,000 such origami models. The second portion of the installation, anchored by a large-scale portrait of a woman blowing bubbles, is dotted with illustrations of paper airplanes, a bicycle, and a train. “It’s a reminder of the simple things in life,” says López Chavez.

Her work is featured across the Boston area, including murals along the Charles River Esplanade, at Harvard University, at the Punto Urban Art Museum, and at the Boston Children’s Museum.