UW–Madison School of Education alumnus Nilvio Alexander (“Alex”) Punguil Bravo was highlighted in an April Madison365.com story about his involvement in the Overture Center’s Latino Art Fair and his experience immigrating to Wisconsin from his home country of Ecuador.
Punguil Bravo earned a BS in rehabilitation psychology from the School of Education in 2017 and is currently pursuing a PhD in civil society and community research from UW–Madison’s School of Human Ecology.
Punguil Bravo discusses with Madison365 how art helped him during his immigration process to the U.S. and allowed him to connect to a strong and diverse community.
“Art has been a way to survive,” he tells Madison365. “I did not have any goal in mind, but it helped me to create a community.”
Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Punguil Bravo moved to Ohio at 17 years old, and then to Madison one year later. Though American culture was very different, he says, “art and music helped me navigate that system.”
“My paintings are 100 percent who I am,” he adds. “They are my babies. It’s my energy, myself, and who I am. I don’t let it go to waste. It’s connected with something that’s going on in my head and my feelings.”
Read the full Madison365 story.