Gift to America 2.0

Maxo Vanka’s murals within the immigrant church in Millvale inspire reverence for the past and visions for the future.

GTA2.0 commissions local and regional BIPOC and Immigrant artists to create new works that engage with Vanka’s enduring murals, fostering contemporary dialogues that reflect the rich tapestry of our region.

Gift to America 2.o is supported by the Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Arts, Equity & Education Fund

Meet The 2025 GTA2.0 Artists

From over 30 applicants these artists were selected to create works inspired by Maxo Vanka’s murals in St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church. These commissions, launched in 2021, bring contemporary perspectives to themes like justice, injustice, the immigrant experience, and motherhood.

Sheila Cuéllar-Shaffer is a Colombian-American artist and her work conveys ideas of human behavior, the nature of political power and societal structures, particularly relating to the experiences of female-identifying individuals and migrant communities. Her work has been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Susquehanna Museum of Art, Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and The State Museum of Pennsylvania.  

Fran Flaherty is the creator and co-curator of Anthropology of Motherhood, Assistant Professor of Digital Art and Emerging Media and Director of FabLab at Carlow University. As a first-generation immigrant mother from the Philippines and a Deaf artist, her work explores migrant family relations, maternal feminism, disability aesthetics, and social connection through the care paradigm—the idea that human survival depends on love, kinship, and interconnectedness. A member of the #notwhite collective, Flaherty’s work is part of collections at the Smith College Art Museum, Dyer Arts Center, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, and Carnegie Mellon University Archives. 

Juliandra Jones is a self-taught mixed media artist, muralist, live painter, entrepreneur, and educator. She uses vinyl, acrylic and aerosol paint, and natural elements– like crystals– in her paintings, woodcuts, sculptures, and public art projects to explore themes of social justice and self-care. Her art brings people together, elevates marginalized voices, and centers happiness and joy. Her work and live-painting exhibitions include: the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Showcase Noir, the Canvas of Words Series, Double Mirror Exhibit Southside Art Crawl, RAW Artists presents: MAGNIFY, The Black Student Unions’ Sip & Paint (Binghamton NY), and the Divine 9 Greek Art Show (Los Angeles, CA). 

Ahmed & Lily Ragheb are a filmmaking duo based in Pittsburgh, PA. Their films emphasize identity, feminism, cultural dislocation and domestic relationships, and are noted for their use of voiceover and mixed media. Their work has screened at world-renowned festivals including International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Cairo International Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival (Nominated, Ingmar Bergman Award) and Athens Int’l Film + Video Festival, as well as the Arab American National Museum and the Mattress Factory Contemporary Art Museum. Together they founded the independent production company Studio Ragheb.

Engage with the Artists

In addition to individual commissions, three artists opted to add a community engagement element to their work through SPMMMV’s “Participation Tracks”. These opportunities build on and are intended to diversify and strengthen SPMMMV’s existing programs including education, interpretation of the Vanka Murals and Creative Happenings; a new initiative, supported in part by the Heinz Endowments, that welcomes the community to the Vanka Murals for a maker experience.    

Our Gift to America 2.0: Inaugural Artists 2021-2022

Christiane Dolores

Max Gonzales

Maggie Negrete

Cue Perry

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