She says murals are gratifying for her. They bring art into neighborhoods where people can see it. Not everyone can visit museums. “I enjoy hearing someone walk down the street and talk about the artwork,” she says. Art helps people communicate and brings them together, Ms. Ortiz says. It can create a bond that allows different people to work on a common goal. They can learn more about each other and themselves. Art also helps people deal with their feelings. “We all have a story to tell,” she says. “Aquí y Allá” is a mural in South Philadelphia that tells the stories of children—some living in Mexico and some who immigrated to Philadelphia from Mexico. Fredy was an immigrant who had been raised by his grandmother in Mexico. His mother brought him to the United States when he was 10. The separation from his grandmother was hard on Fredy. He missed her and promised to return to Mexico to visit her. Before he could make the trip, his grandmother died. Fredy was angry when Ms. Ortiz met him. She suggested that he make a portrait of his grandmother in the mural. Painting the mural lightened his soul, Ms. Ortiz says. He could move forward. “It’s so important to express yourself and to be creative,” she says. “It’s like seeing a bouncing ball in a box. You want to let it free and let it explore.” Michelle Angela Ortiz Bringing communities together through art Michelle Angela Ortiz says she is proud to be a nerd. She has been a nerd for as long as she can remember. She got good grades and she read a lot. Other children would pick on her. When she was in the fourth grade, she wore a patch to correct a lazy eye. The boys in her class called her “pirate girl.” She used her artistic talents to strike back. Almost daily, she would sketch an eye on her patch. The drawings fascinated her classmates, who waited eagerly to see each new image. “Even as a nerd I defended myself,” she says. “I wouldn’t defend myself with my fist, but with words.” And her art. Ms. Ortiz has become a highly regarded visual artist. She paints and creates prints in her art studio and leads communities to create large murals in Philadelphia and beyond. She has worked with people in South America, Europe, and the island of Fiji. 16 Illustration by Meelena Guidici, Cole Manor Healthy Comet