We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jodie Herrera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jodie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve been selected for is a large-scale mural and mosaic collaboration with my mother, Mercedes Montoya, for the Albuquerque Sunport. We’ll be creating it this summer and installing it in early fall. It will combine my large-scale mural painting and mosaic tile work made from clay that my mother will hand-harvest from our ancestral land in Coyote, New Mexico, a place that has nurtured generations of women in our family. The overall concept of the piece celebrates the diverse matriarchs of New Mexico and in turn the New Mexican culture upheld by them. Creating artwork honoring the Matriarch with my mother by hand harvesting clay from our ancestral land is not only an important personal lived experience that I’m excited to share but a project that I think expresses New Mexico’s values and unique culture. Also, it’s an incredible honor to contribute to the Main Airport in New Mexico, a space that represents the gateway into our community.

Jodie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jodie Herrera, a proud New Mexican artist deeply rooted in my heritage, which profoundly shapes my creative work and connection to the land. I specialize in large-scale murals, photorealistic oil paintings, and curatorial projects that celebrate resilience, representation, and social justice.
My journey into art began at a young age, but it wasn’t until I studied Fine Art at the University of New Mexico that I truly honed my passion for storytelling through visual mediums. Art has always been my way of processing the world, and I quickly realized its potential to empower and uplift marginalized voices.
I create murals and oil paintings that highlight the strength and stories of underrepresented communities, particularly women of color who have overcome significant challenges. My oil portraits blend my technical training with personal storytelling, incorporating cultural symbolism to visually narrate their stories. My murals, commissioned both nationally and internationally, incorporate elements of photorealism and symbolic imagery, often reflecting local heritage, flora, fauna, and community narratives.
Beyond my studio work, I founded Women Across Borders, an initiative that takes me around the world to paint portraits of refugee and immigrant women, sharing their stories to inspire awareness and change. I work closely with my subjects, ensuring their voices and experiences are accurately and respectfully represented.

I’m honored to have my work in The Smithsonian DC’s Art Archives of America, and to have exhibited in major galleries and museums across the country. My murals have been featured in projects for Miami Art Basel, Walt Disney, and Virgin Voyages, and my work has been highlighted in The American Art Collector, Beautiful Bizarre, and the Art of the Protest documentary alongside Tom Morello and Shepard Fairey. I’ve also been named “Best Visual Artist” by Albuquerque Magazine for three consecutive years.
My art is about connection—about honoring stories that deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated. Whether through murals in public spaces or intimate oil portraits, my goal is to create work that resonates deeply, fosters conversation, and amplifies the beauty and resilience of diverse communities.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience has for better or worse been foundational in my journey. As a woman of color navigating the art world, I have faced significant challenges. On top of that, I have dyslexia, ADD, OCD tendencies, and am prone to depression, all of which have added layers of difficulty but I’ve always been scrappy, resourceful, and determined to carve my own path. In college, I was juggling academics while creating ambitious exhibitions, all while periodically living out of my car and crashing on friends’ couches here and there. I never felt truly welcomed in the art world, so I used every resource I had and worked tirelessly to create opportunities, not just for myself but for other artists I admired and who I felt deserved a platform. Instead of waiting for a seat at the table, I built my own, which is still necessary for me to do until this day despite my success.

My personal journey of resilience has been about reclaiming my narrative. Having survived multiple instances of trauma, I spent much of my life feeling like a slave to shame. But rather than let that pain define me, I chose to transform it into something beyond myself. I created a painting series that tells the stories of resilient women, celebrating their strength, their victories, and the beauty of who they are today. Through my work, I seek to celebrate them, showing that no matter what we endure, we have the ability to heal, to rise, and to reclaim our power.

My journey has been far from easy, but every challenge has shaped the artist, the curator, and the woman I am today. And through my art, I hope to remind others that they, too, have the power to turn pain into purpose.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

How Can Society Best Support Artists, Creatives, and a Thriving Creative Ecosystem?

This is such a lovely and important question and something I am really excited to share. There are several meaningful ways we, as a society, can uplift artists and cultivate a thriving creative ecosystem:

1. Champion Artists in Everyday Conversations
One of the simplest yet most impactful ways to support artists is through word-of-mouth. When you find yourself in a room with people who might resonate with an artist’s work, share their name, celebrate their talent, and introduce their art to new audiences. A recommendation from a trusted voice can open doors for an artist in ways social media algorithms never could.

2. Engage With Artists on Social Media
A like, comment, or share may seem small, but in today’s digital world, engagement directly impacts an artist’s visibility. Algorithms favor interaction, meaning the more people engage, the more their work reaches potential supporters, buyers, and opportunities. If you love an artist’s work, take a moment to interact, it costs nothing but has real value.

3. Financial Support With Creative Freedom
If you have the means to support an artist financially, whether through commissions, purchases, or funding projects, one of the greatest gifts you can offer is creative freedom. Trusting an artist to work within their unique style and perspective not only ensures they create their best work but also affirms that you respect their artistic voice.

4. Ethical Commissioning
No Free Mock-Ups or Competitions Without Pay. A common but damaging practice in the creative industry is asking artists to produce free mock-ups before hiring them. This creates a culture where artists are expected to work without compensation, reinforcing the false notion that creative labor is expendable. Instead, artists should be hired based on their portfolio, if their past work aligns with your vision, that should be enough. Contests and unpaid design competitions further devalue artistic labor, fostering an environment where artists must constantly work for free in hopes of securing opportunities.

5. Be Kind :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jodieherrera.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/chromaj