News Release from City of Yonkers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  PROMINENT YONKERS ARTISTS UNVEIL YONKERS WATERFRONT’S LATEST PUBLIC ART.

Meditation Circle – Paul Greco (To the left)   Downtown Waterfront Vibes – Luisa Baptista (To the right) 

(Photo Credit: Maurice Mercado/City of Yonkers)

Yonkers, NY – July 11, 2019 – Today the City of Yonkers unveiled its newest public art additions to the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront created by the prominent Yonkers-based artists Paul Greco and Luisa Baptista.

Luisa Baptista, or more commonly known by her artist name as, Luisa Vibes unveiled her mural, Downtown Waterfront Vibes, located in the Buena Vista Parking Garage Center at 8 Buena Vista Avenue. Baptista’s mural is a contemporary piece of art meant to complement the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront. Paul Greco also unveiled his mosaic, Meditation Circle, located in the sculpture meadow along the waterfront at 20 Water Grant Street which connects to the larger urban culture of the Yonkers Downtown. Meditation Circle is the latest addition to the meadow as his artwork joins dozens of public art pieces displayed through the Yonkers Downtown and contributes to the city’s burgeoning arts scene.

“Yonkers has quickly gained notoriety as a destination City for artists to live, work and exhibit,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “Thanks to the newest additions from, Yonkers-own, Paul and Luisa, they have contributed to their pieces of art to the beautiful mosaic that is Yonkers.” 

Luísa Baptista is a life-long Yonkers resident and artist. She immigrated from Portugal at the age of 3. Early on in school, Baptista attended Charles E. Gorton High School – where she excelled beyond expectations and lobbied for advanced art classes. Baptista then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY where she studied Psychology and Studio Art and became directly involved in their International English school, EF, which reinforced her multicultural awareness and appreciation for the arts. In her professional career Baptista has worn many hats – an educator, mentor, and manager but always remained an artist who sought to visually intertwine and bring together divergent and contrasting parts of a whole.

Paul Greco is a Yonkers-based artist who attended The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan focusing primarily in Painting & Sculpture. Greco is an esteemed member of the Upstream Gallery and has constantly exhibited his work there and abroad. 

“I am grateful, that I was given the opportunity to create this permanent Sculpture Installation titled: “The Meditation Circle” for the people and of the city of Yonkers,” said Paul Greco.  “My goal was to create a special place where people could feel peaceful and enlightened, a place for conversations and discussions of issues large and small”.