Grupos Motivos Artist Talk with Betsy Casañas
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Back in the mid-1980s, a group of local Puerto Rican women, weary of the pervasive presence of drug dealers and the blighted state of the Norris Square neighborhood and park, embarked on a remarkable journey. They undertook the transformation of a vacant lot, christening it as Las Parcelas (which translates to “parcels” in English). Las Parcelas now proudly features a vibrant tapestry of vegetable and flower garden plots. The original collective of women activists has since adopted the name Grupo Motivos.
The garden stands as a testament to the power of community effort and reimagining your local urban spaces. Participants are invited to experience this powerful community story through the augmented reality (AR) monument created in collaboration with Philadelphia-based mural artist Betsy Casañas and Kinfolk Tech. The Grupos Motivos collective and the monument are a testament to what is possible when we dream collectively. Join the artist Betsy Casañas for a conversation and Q&A on turning their mural practice into a digital monument and the transformative power of reimagining public spaces in Philadelphia.
This artist talk is presented as part of the 2026 Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival.
Saturday May 30
11 – 11:45 AM
Ice Box Project Space, 1400 N American St, Philadelphia
Accessibility:
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About the Works
Betsy Casañas
Betsy Z. Casanas is a contemporary multidisciplinary artist and muralist whose work explores memory, migration, cultural identity, and the transformative power of public space. With more than three decades of experience, she creates immersive, large-scale murals and installations that merge painting, architecture, storytelling, and community engagement. Rooted in Caribbean visual language and inspired by diasporic narratives, tropical landscapes, and urban histories, her work is recognized for its vibrant color and layered symbolism.Through site-specific public art projects, Casanas transforms architectural spaces into visually dynamic environments that foster connection, reflection, and cultural belonging.
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Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival (PHLAFF)
The Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival (PHLAFF) was established in 2012 as the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. PHLAFF has become the Greater Philadelphia region’s only festival showcasing the extraordinary and innovative work of emerging and established Latine/x/a/o filmmakers.
PHLAFF has evolved into a nationally recognized platform, with recent highlights including six weeks of hybrid programming during our 2025 season. Our programming includes the activation of community spaces with screenings of groundbreaking works from all genres: short film, narrative, documentary, animation, emerging media and more. Our programs focus on offering community centered spaces in the Philadelphia region and beyond where content creators, storytellers, filmmakers, actors, producers and creatives can meet with other artists, engage with audiences to present and discuss innovative work and practices.
PHLAFF is committed to engage diverse communities through the execution of collaborative efforts rooted on making our offerings accessible. We collaborate with a diverse network to ensure that we can bring folks together through the universal language of film to create critical connections through shared experiences supporting cross-cultural understanding locally, regionally,nationally and internationally.
Let's collaborate to preserve, protect, and share the untold stories of your community. We work with cultural institutions, community organizations, artists, educators, and funders.