FALL CONFERENCE KEYNOTE: EDWIN GIL

AEI FALL CONFERENCE: THE ART OF STORYTELLING
KEYNOTE: Edwin Gil

Edwin Gil is an avid social activist and uses his art to bridge cultures and diverse groups living in the U.S. His Con ‘A’ de Arte (A For Art) and Art Si (Art Yes) through the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, connects youth and promotes art as a vehicle to affect positive change in the community. ​

Gil’s Home Sweet Home project achieved critical acclaim by actively involving the children of the Charlotte school system in the creation of a giant mural. As a result of this project, Gil met with then Senator of New York and current Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and presented her with one of his paintings.
Edwin has overcome numerous obstacles to become one of America’s premier Latino Artists. In his Faces of Diversity Project, Edwin shares his story of triumph and how it helped shape his idea of social awareness through art. Edwin takes you on his journey across Europe with his Nuestra Bandera, Nuestro Pais, Nuestro Hogar (Our Flag, Our Country, Our Home) project with images and music as he tells the stories of the more than 25,000 people who participated in his global art project. Most recently, Edwin toured North Carolina with his Flag of Hope collecting handprints, stories and memories to make the nation’s first ever flag made with the handprints of North Carolinians. With these types of adventures behind him, Edwin is sure to motivate and spread his message of hope to all that encounter this feel good presentation.

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