Sculpting the Unseen
Famed Puerto Rican artist installs sculptures at Mercy’s Bronx and Manhattan Campuses
When Puerto Rican sculptor Martín Rubio first heard about ĢAV from College of New Rochelle (CNR) alumna Laudelina Martinez CNR SAS ’63, something about its history and mission struck a chord. A school committed to opening doors for students deeply resonated with him. Inspired by this, he decided to donate one of his sculptures to the Westchester Campus. That initial gift, facilitated by Martinez, turned out to be just the start of a larger relationship with Mercy.
“We talked about Mercy, she told me the history, and it resonated with me,” Rubio recalled. He wanted to honor Mercy’s commitment to Hispanic and first-generation student success and to recognize the legacy of CNR, whose alumnae became part of the Mercy community when it closed in 2019.
“That was the beginning, with that first gift.” But as he learned about Mercy’s other two campuses, he knew he wanted to extend his generosity even further.
Rubio, an internationally recognized artist, has had his works exhibited in museums, galleries and private collections across Japan, France, Colombia and the United States. As one of the founders of El Taller Boricua in Spanish Harlem — a movement that helped spur the creation of El Museo del Barrio in New York City — his artistic contributions have long celebrated cultural heritage. Martinez, founder and owner of the Martinez Gallery in Troy, N.Y., has also been a champion of his work, featuring his pieces in her gallery.
Rubio’s sculptures are distinctive, not only for their craftsmanship but for their sensory engagement. Legally blind due to glaucoma, he has adapted his creative process over the years, relying on touch and symbolic representation to bring his ideas to life. “I like to use a lot of symbolism in my pieces,” he explained.
For Mercy’s Westchester and Manhattan Campuses, Rubio selected two different-sized models of his sculpture entitled “G3,” part of a series he created as he adjusted to his vision loss. Sculpted from laminated plywood furniture-grade wood, “G3” features rich variations in wood tones and is mounted on a rotating wooden pin — an invitation for viewers to interact with it physically.
“This particular piece [“G3”] deals with enlightenment,” Rubio said. “The theme is the past, the present and the future. There is more detail on the back of the piece, which represents the past, the middle is the head, the present, and the front, which is like a question mark, is the future,” he explained.
For Rubio, placing “G3” in an academic setting made perfect sense. “When students are in college, they have an idea of what they would like to be in the future when they complete their studies, but at present, they are studying and preparing for that future.”
To further complement the sculpture, he also donated a commissioned poster created by New York City-based graphic designer Thompson. The artwork features “G3” on a chessboard with a king positioned in front of it. “Both of them are on a chessboard because this sculpture represents so much knowledge and information, and the sculpture has the king in checkmate,” Rubio explained.
For the Bronx Campus, Rubio chose a different piece — “Rice the Seed.” Made of laminated plywood furniture-grade wood, it’s another sculpture designed to be touched and explored. Given that the Bronx was the first place he lived when he arrived in New York from Puerto Rico, it felt like the perfect location for a piece representing his roots.
“I grew up on rice and beans,” he said, noting that rice is a staple in many cultures. His travels, including an exhibition of this particular piece in Japan, reinforced its universal significance. “When I thought about Mercy’s Bronx Campus, I thought about this piece.”
More than anything, Rubio hopes his sculptures spark curiosity in the students, faculty, staff and visitors who encounter them.
“All of us are affected by what we see every day. Everything is a reaction. I want people to react to the art,” he said. “That is the main focus of all the pieces I design.”