Internationally renowned, award-winning artist Luis Peralta del Valle recently treated the art majors at Sallie B. Howard School to an exclusive Zoom call discussing his life and his passion for art.
Students listened with rapt attention as the artist discussed the challenges of being an undocumented student in the United States, a topic that resonated with many of his young listeners.
Who Is Luis Peralta del Valle?
Luis Peralta del Valle was born in Nicaragua in 1980. His family migrated to the United States five years later. Eventually, the family relocated from Washington, D.C. to Wilson, North Carolina.
His artistic talents and skills were apparent at an early age, but Peralta del Valle’s parents didn’t support his passion. They worried he would be unable to earn a steady income as an artist. They even went so far as to throw out his drawings and art supplies, but their lack of support didn’t change the talented young artist’s mind.
He started painting graffiti murals in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia at the age of 13, completing his high school education at Bell Multicultural High School.
Peralta del Valle worried that his lack of funds and undocumented status would make it impossible to receive a college education. However, his dreams came true when he was accepted into Corcoran College of Art and Design.
Taking off in Art
In 2013, Peralta del Valle won the East of the River Distinguished Artist Award. A year later, he won the National Museum of Catholic Art and Library National Artist Award by Prince Lorenzo Maria de Medici. In 2015, he was commissioned for the Beijing/District of Columbia Sister Cities Project.
In the last six years, Peralta del Valle has completed works of art for private businesses, foundations, public institutions, and museums. He has an expansive skill set and creates murals, portraits, sculptures, and paintings. His work has been exhibited at the NCIS headquarters in Virginia, the Embassy of Italy, The Frederick Douglass National Historical Site, and other prestigious locations.
Pursue Your Artistic Dreams at Sallie B. Howard
Sallie B. Howard School is proud and honored to have Luis Peralta del Valle speak with our art majors. And we’re proud to offer top-tier visual and performing arts courses that help gifted students pursue their artistic dreams.
Images from Luis Peralta del Valle Facebook Page
