Alfonso "Piloto" Nieves Ruiz

Alfonso "Piloto" Nieves Ruiz is a self-taught artist who was born in Querétaro, México. When Piloto was ten, he moved from his impoverished barrio to the outskirts of the city and witnessed now the mass ubanization of México was swallowing the small pueblos that surrounded its cities. Piloto's new neighborhood was between an industrial zone, an electric plant and a clandestine garbage dump where he loved to play with stuff he found, unleashing his imagination. A river that passed a block from his home came from a presa, a small lake a few miles away in the wealthy neighborhood of Juriquilla. The well-to-do residents used the water for entertainment; they put sand on the side of the lake to simulate a beach and water skied and jet-skied all the time. These rich people controlled the water that was coming from that presa into the river that the small towns used for farming and daily living. As the river got close to the factories, Piloto could see how the river changed color as the big industries illegally dumping chemical waste into the river. Often Piloto's neighborhood didn't have running water and so the residents were forced to conserve and recycle this vital resource.

Piloto moved to Chicago at the age of 21. Although he made art throughout his childhood and youth, it was when he turned 24 that he started to dedicate his time to the world of art. He walked the alleys of Chicago and found out that here in his new home, people were very wasteful. People washed cars with hoses, kids played in hydrants, people let the water run while brushing their teeth and washing the dishes. Food was thrown away, TVs, couches, and many useful things piled in the alleys.

He had seen himself trying to reach the "American dream" yet was paid 5 dollars an hour and hid behind boxes to eat his lunch because his employer wouldn't give him a lunch break. His only escape from the exploitation, discrimination, inability to communicate and separation from his loved ones and country, was art. Feeling the clay on his hands connected him to his childhood, to the river, to the dump, to the hungry factories, to the hungry people, to the poor rich people, to this roots, to the earth, to the water, to the mud.

He has displayed his art in many venues, including the National Museum of Mexican Art, the lawn of the Field Museum, Navy Pier, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Garfield Park Conservatory, CU Museum of Natural History, the Boulder Public Library, The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, UIC, Elmhurst College, One State Together in the Arts, amony many other venues.

Piloto was awarded the 2015 Latino Leadership Award by the city of Evanston. He also received an honorable mention in the Mayor's awards for the arts.

Most recently Piloto co-created a 30-foot sculpture with Chicago's muralist, Hector Duarte. This sculpture is part of the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Gathering Spaces for the Field Museum and the city of Chicago.

Alfonso "Piloto" Nieves Ruiz is perhaps best known for his work with the community. He has created sculptures with different groups for the immigration marches and other actions such as Standing Rock. He has given art workshops focused on different social justice issues around the country at museums, city parks, community centers, libraries and many schools from kindergartens to universities.

(top left): Bibiana Suárez, Aves raras (puertorriqueños) no. 1/Strange Birds (Puerto Ricans) no. 1, from the Memoria (Memory) Series, 2005–2011. Archival inkjet print (map courtesy of the University of Chicago's Special Collections) on aluminum panel, 23 ½ x 23 ½ in. Courtesy of the artist.

(top right): Bibiana Suárez, Ai pledch aliyens no.1, from the Memoria (Memory) Series, 2005–2011. Acrylic paint on aluminum panel, 23 ½ x 23 ½ in. Courtesy of the artist.

(bottom left): Bibiana Suárez, Corazón cocido/Sewn Heart, from the Memoria (Memory) Series, 2005–2011. Acrylic paint, laser...