Esther Pagan
Artist Statement
I'm a latina that represents the Puerto Rican Diaspora. As a Cancer Survivor; mixed mdeia artist; inspirational performer & healer I use my own brand of art through community activism & education. I give strength to others sharing my own experiences creatively. My hands are my livelihood as I create & sculpture using different mediums.
BIO:
Esther Maria Pagan was born in Youngstown, Ohio but raised in the Bronx. She is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and The Swedish Institute.
Ms. Pagan worked in the garment industry in the 1980s. She found her passion to be working with her hands to create and heal. She attended and completed studies at The Swedish Institute, often referred as The Harvard of massage schools, and in 1999 her healing path took her to become a New York State licensed massage therapist.
Her creative side allowed her to develop the skills to be a certified art handler via a grant awarded by the Bronx Council of the Arts that was funded in part by The Municipal Art Society and Lincoln Center.
Her artistic energy was exhibited in the 2010, Just Hats and the fall of 2013 at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos Community College, when she had a autobiographical solo show dedicated to her personal experience having been diagnosed to having breast cancer. She had opted for a bilateral mastectomy on October 17, 2012. The show entitled, My Colors of Cancer, was well reviewed and defined her giving spirit. It is also the subject that documents her experience and will be published along with her blog entrees that explain her ten surgeries that were part of her cancer experience.
Ms. Pagan also has developed her poetic creativity when she was an active member of a poetry collective called, Full Circle Ensemble. Her involvement gave her the opportunity to perform at the National Black Theatre of Harlem in January 2015.
The artistic documentation of her breast cancer in the visual, written, and as performance is a real part of who Ms. Esther Pagan is and strives to be. Her outreach as a survivor has resulted in her speaking to at risk audiences, those experiencing cancer and the families of those women who have had to deal with breast cancer. Her massage skill set has allowed her to literally have hands on with those who need it the most. She continues to create and elevate awareness.
Esther Pagan
Declaracion Del Artista
Esther Pagan alias Star Ángel nacida en Youngstown, Ohio (creada en Nueva York) :
Artista plástico, Escritora y Actriz sobreviviente de cáncer, crea su propia marca de arte atravez del activismo comunitario y educativo dando fuerzas a otros que comparten su misma experiencia de vida.
Con sus manos crea y esculpe su arte utilizando diversidad de medios tomando sus pasiones e ingenio para lograr así su propósito. Cuenta con 3 Exposiciones Individuales y 7 Exposiciones Colectivas.