Soraida Martinez

Martinez was born in New York in 1956 and has Puerto Rican heritage. After moving to Vineland, New Jersey at the age of 14, Martinez studied art at Glassboro State College, where she graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in design; == Career and art ==

Martinez has been the owner of an art and design studio since 1986. Her paintings have been called "audacious." She has been noted as a person who raises awareness of topics that are considered "too taboo to be discussed in mainstream American society." Verdadism Since 1992 Soraida Martinez has been known as the creator of Verdadism, a form of hard-edge abstraction where each painting is accompanied by a written social commentary. Verdadism is a neologism created by combining the Spanish word, verdad (truth) and the English suffix for theory (ism). Viewers are drawn to both the artist's abstract paintings and her commentaries on humanity and the universal human condition. According to Martinez' artist's statement, "My art reflects the essence of my true self and the truth within me...My struggle is for recognition, acceptance and inclusion; and, against racism, sexism and the dominant eurocentric male society, which never expected much from me but still did not allow my voice to be heard. My belief is that one must empower oneself with one's own truth...". Martinez has gained recognition and received many awards for this unique thought-provoking and visually stimulating art style. also use the artist's paintings and art book to teach students about tolerance and diversity. In 2013, Martinez was singled out by the Huffington Post as one of the ten best Latino artists in the U.S. Through her art, Martinez is an advocate and humanitarian who visits young children in schools in order to encourage and inspire them to strive to achieve their fullest potential. Martinez is frequently asked to do exhibitions on her Verdadism art and philosophy at universities, institutions and corporations. == Quotes ==

"In this society, we have been conditioned to be what people want us to be. We--as individuals--are afraid to be individuals. That's because American society...is actually not so open-minded when it comes to new ideas or different races. And, as human beings, we all know that; therefore, many of us have the terror of demasking ourselves. Most of us would rather die than let someone really know us." "Art can plant a seed in someone's mind." "I tell... kids about empowering themselves through education. And they see me as a role model. A professional artist. A Puerto Rican woman. I made it. But I wish someone had told me what I'm telling them." ==References==