Art of resilience

PORTRAIT

EARN A BFA DEGREE

ALUMNUS JAVIER FLORES

WOULDN’T BE SLOWED IN

HIS JOURNEY TO SUCCEED

AS AN ARTIST, NOT EVEN BY

THE ACCIDENT THAT LEFT HIM

UNABLE TO WALK.

Javier Flores’ story is a testimony to resilience.

At age 19, the budding graffiti artist had an accident that left him unable to walk, leading him to use a wheelchair. While relearning how to live, he grappled with anger, confusion and depression. He also rethought his approach to art.

“I couldn’t do graffiti in the same way,” he said. “I needed to find a new way to express myself.”

That realization led Flores to Metropolitan State University of Denver, where the 2008 Fine Arts graduate found a community that helped him flourish on his journey as an artist, activist and educator.

He remembers his college experience as transformative and describes the community among Art students as foundational. “We were always in the studio, always working together,” he said. “We’d eat there. We’d spend the whole day there.”

Flores also credits his professors for their guidance — in particular, Carlos Frésquez, whom Flores affectionately refers to as his “Art Dad.” Frésquez has championed Flores’ work and even recommended him for an affiliate professor role at the University.

Flores said teaching in the space where he rebuilt himself as an artist felt like coming full circle. He now teaches at Front Range Community College and tries to create the same sense of community for his students that he found at MSU Denver. He is also honest with them about the challenges of working as an artist, sharing from his own career.

That career, though not without struggle, has certainly bent toward success.

Flores’ work was showcased this past summer in the Denver Art Museum’s “Untitled: Creative Fusions” series. His art is also part of an exhibition at the Arvada Center. He will soon turn his focus to a solo show scheduled for display in 2024.

Of course, there is also the lesson he teaches simply by being himself: the power of resilience.

“I’m very stubborn when it comes to my art practice, and that stems partly from being in a chair,” he said. “I want to prove to everyone that my wheelchair is not a limitation; it’s just a part of who I am.”