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Marisa Velázquez-Rivas

Welcome to the Tiny Room for Elephants Festival Audio Tour, presented by Love and Grit, a podcast from Visit Philadelphia that explores the authentic and diverse stories of the city.

The work you are viewing is by artist Marisa Velázquez-Rivas.

This piece is a reminder that we've always existed and will continue to do so. It feature famous lesbians throughout history, many closeted for obvious reasons. It's a reminder of how beautiful love is and how there should be no reason to push our existence back into secrecy.

When asked, what does the phrase “made with love, inspired by grit” mean to your creative process, the artist responded: “The biggest hustlers I know are artists. They sweat day in and day out and pull all-nighters on a regular basis to pursue what they love. It takes a lot of guts to pursue what you love. I'd say to be successful at doing what you love you need grit and to be a risk taker.”

TINY ROOM FOR ELEPHANTS FESTIVAL
  1. LOTITS
  2. Kariem Young
  3. Adam Crawford
  4. NOMAD
  5. Kyle Confehr
  6. Priscilla Bell Lamberty
  7. Eric Okdeh
  8. Tim McFarlane
  9. Esteme TGE
  10. Joshua Ruggeri
  11. Oluwafemi
  12. DM Weeks
  13. Ash Ryan
  14. Cathey White
  15. Ed Marion
  16. LAMI TOLLA
  17. Lawren Alice
  18. Athena Astraea Scott
  19. Benjamin Howard
  20. Marisa Velázquez-Rivas
  21. Emily White
  22. Taj Posce
  23. Greg Simmons
  24. irregular
  25. Flygirrl
  26. Alloyius McIlwaine
  27. Lace in the Moon
  28. Elizabeth Samet
  29. Anthony (Seper) Torcasio.
  30. Justin Tyner
  31. Anthony Enochs
  32. John Jones
  33. Frank Chappell III
  34. Malachi Floyd