A NYU film school graduate, my background is in independent films, public radio and television, and multimedia entertainment studios, in New York and South Florida. While working in production and post-production studios in New York, I also read poetry, performed, videotaped, recorded and archived performances at The Poetry Project in St. Mark’s Church, Nuyorican Poets Café, Poets House, 92nd Street Y, and INTAR Theatre. I took art lessons at Stuyvesant High School, The Art Students League, Art Center /South Florida (Oolite Art),private lessons and expressive art workshops in South Florida. My late husband Henry Ko and I were passionate Sunday painters at the NY Botanical Gardens and North Beach Oceanside Park in Miami Beach.
I’m a 8 year breast cancer survivor. On a drive to Wynwood, I noticed graffiti and murals on the side of the road and was inspired to create a series about breast cancer survivors titled Flat. I had a flash of figure that evolved into an atmospheric faceless Everywoman with mastectomy scars, a motto about her head—Be Safe, Get Tested.
Art is a medium that is easily grasped and appreciated by most people. I work in visual media to propagate the message— Your Breasts, Be Safe, Get Tested.
My experience with breast cancer woke in me a desire to tell my story: one of 12% American women diagnosed with breast cancer– 3.1 million America women treated for cancer.
I in 8 American women
Art Fairs, galleries and digital platforms where the paintings, and prints were displayed include:
Artists on the Rise’s exhibit at Mod 60s Lounge in Ft Lauderdale, September 2017
FIU Medical School’s Mammography Art Initiate Community art show and silent auction at Futurama Gallery, October 2018.
(donated framed print to help fund a truck that offers free 3D mammograms and follow-up care to underserved communities across Miami-Dade County).
Local Art Club’s Pink October Fundraising Events at R-House in Wynwood, October 2018, 2019
Viernes Cultures Art Festival in Little Havana, November 2018, April and May 2019
Umbrellas of Little Havana Art Festival during Miami Art Week, December 2018
Normandy Square Art Fair with Painting with a Twist Miami Beach, February, March 2019, June, August 2019
Local Art Club’s Art After Dark at SQL Miami, Downtown, February 2019
Breast Cancer Art Exhibition in Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge UK, February 4 – 22, 2019
Local Art Club’s R-House Wynwood Art Walk in May, June, July 2019
Reflect: Healing Through Art, at ArtServe- Ft Lauderdale, May 20 – June 7, 2019
Got Art Gallery at Deerfield Beach Government Center, October through December Exhibit, 2019
Art in the Hall at Dania Beach City Hall, October 12, 2019
Ministry Art: Art of the Spiritually Woke at MAG Fashion Lounge Hall, September 3- 11th 2019
Journey to New Beginnings: An Exhibition of Breast Cancer Awareness Art at Galeria Adelmo, September 27 – October 22nd 2019
Press release published by Art Daily News International News Magazine https://www.artdailynewsinternationalmagazine.com/2019/09/the-journey-to-new-beginnings.html
FIU Medical School’s Mammography Art Initiate Community’s “Poderosa” at Conde Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, October 19th, 2019
HerStory- at Glenn Herbert Library at FIU North Campus, March to October 2020.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/14c7ff331a6a4208bbfdae970b781b61
Raft in the NMB Discovery Library, December 2019
“Masked” exhibit published virtually by The League of National American Pen Women— Coral Gables Branch. Virtual Exhibition October 2020 created “Breathe”
Interwoven: A Virtual Exhibit of Breast Cancer Art, published by The National League of American Pen Women -Coral Gables Branch from December 1, 2020 to January 31/ 2021
https://www.nlapw-coralgables.org/past-exhibitions.html
Love’s Hunger Art Show at NY Patio Bar, St Valentine’s Day 2020
Expressing Ourselves at JCC – Miami Beach in October 1 to December 2020
FIU Mammography Art Initiative 9th Annual MIA Art Show and Auction at FIU Graham Center , “Reliance” February 2021
Alliance for Change & Empowerment ACE Virtual Photography Exhibition September 2020
Broward Art Guild Winter Spectular Salon December 20 to January 21, 2021
Broward Art Guild awarded digital artwork Stone Woman “Best in Show” blue ribbon.
Broward Art Guild “Land and Sea”, March 2021
Painted Tin Project Green Installation at Shipyard Garden Patio Bar Party Venue , Hollywood, February – April 2021
Article published on Renee Phillips website The Healing Power of Art “Women Who Help Others Heal” January 2021
https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/women-artists-who-help-others-heal-through-art/
Broward Art Guild’s “Black & White Exhibit”, February 2021
Interwoven: An Exhibit of Breast Cancer Art at Broward Art Guild, September 29th to October 29th, 2021
Art-In-Lockdown Exhibition Featuring the Kindred Collections of Interwoven Breast Cancer Art and Sheltered In -Place Pandemic Art at Miramar Cultural Center, October 25th to December 12, 2021
Broward Art Guild- Spectacular Winter Exhibit, January 21 to March 2022
Broward Art Guild – Animal Exhibit January 2022
Passionate Excellence, March 11 to March 31st, 2022 at NMB Discover Library
FIU MIA art show and auction, The Museum of Graffiti, October 2022, 2023
Frequent contributor to The Breast Cancer Arts Project
https://breastcancerartproject.wordpress.com/?s=Alina+Ko
Art Coordinator and Curator:
Ministry Art: Art of the Spiritually Woke at MAG Fashion Lounge, September 4 – 11, 2019
Journey to New Beginnings: Breast Cancer Awareness Art at Galeria Adelmo, September 27 – October 22, 2019
Art catalog published by Art Daily News International Magazine https://issuu.com/fatimacanovas/docs/journey_to_new_beginnings_exhibition_catalog
Love’s Hangover Romantic Art Show at NY Patio Bar, Valentine’s Day 2020
Interwoven: A Virtual Exhibit of Breast Cancer Awareness Art, published virtually by National PEN Women December 1, 2020 to January 2021
Co-Coordinator of Painted Tin Project with Sonia Sanchez Nieto at Shipyard Garden, January 2021 to present
Sisters Exhibit at NMB Discovery Library, March 2021
Interwoven: A Collection of Breast Cancer Art Exhibit at Broward Art Guild, September 29 to October 29th, 2021
Art-In-Lockdown Exhibition Featuring the Kindred Collections of Interwoven Breast Cancer Art and Sheltered -In-Place Pandemic Art at Miramar Cultural Center, from October 25 to December 12th 2021
The Journey to New Beginning, Interwoven: An Exhibit of Breast Cancer Art and Art- in- Lockdown are about raising breast cancer awareness, raising funds for ARTfullAngels and Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that provide services for the breast cancer community in Florida.
Passionate Excellence at NMB Discovery Library, during March Women’s History Month Art Exhibit Host, March 2022
Five exhibitions — Ministry Art, The Journey to New Beginnings, Thrivers Virtual Exhibit, Interwoven and Art -In – Lockdown are in honor of Sandra Joy Perini RIP, an artist who died of metastatic breast cancer in February 2019.
Member of Local Art Club, ArtServe, Oolite Arts Center, Broward Art Guild,
Gilda’s Club, NAMI, FilmGate, Women in Film and Television- South Florida Chapter, D-Word documentary group.
Fundraiser for ARTfullAngels, Badges of Courage Foundation, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation and Comforting Pink Sisters
Volunteered at Humane Society- Soffer Animal Center, WPBT, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, NMB Discovery Library, NAMI Broward
Broward County Consumer Advisory Council Meeting contributor – A Breast Cancer Presentation
Advocate for Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, NAMI and Alliance for Change nonprofit organization(ACE), State of Florida Legislation Advocacy for Florida Breast Cancer Foundation.
Provisional Certified Peer Specialist – State of Florida
Executive Producer of Art Garden Productions LLC, woman-owned and led Miami based video production company that specializes in documentaries and short films.
https://www.artgarden.productions/
Art Garden Productions is in production with 2 documentaries— “The Cancer Artists: Exhibiting Breast Cancer Art” and “Trauma and The Artist.”
Narrative films in development are “Unreconstructed”and “Friend of Life.”
Documentary “Arts in Recovery” for Fresh Start of Miami-Dade County, inc is based on an arts festival that celebrates mental health wellness produced in October, 2022
Cofounder of Purple Octopus Art, LLC , a platform that addresses various human and environmental ailments. The first book is about breast cancer and female cancers “The Cancer Feminine- Art, Inspiration and Truth.”
Alina Ko 