raphaella | “raph” | RAPH DRAWS

pronouns: she/they

RAPH DRAWS is a self-taught, haitian-american, digital illustrator and muralist. Source created them with a dash of glitter, salt, jiwof (“cloves” in creole), sky miles, joy, sassy twitter fingers, disco fever, and a heaping amount of passionate, creative-cosmic energy. they identify as a "creative midwife” — who brings their digital pieces to the physical using prototyping tools, such as laser and vinyl cutter machine.

They describe their style as “cultural-psychedelic” — where culture meets the surrealism of her inner and outer expression of the world. drawing knowledge from their haitian-catholic background, their art celebrates the human consciousness shift that is currently happening in the world today. in a time where the COVID-19 pandemic revealed faults in the powers & systems that be, the art they create draws from cultural, spiritual, & mystical references while using exuberant color palettes to create timeless visual stories.

the goal of our pieces is to liberate the collective black experience & honor oneness — a dream we collectively aspire towards yet are distracted by the complex polarities of human life.

After completing Generator Makerspace’s Fall Term Artist-in-Residency in 2021, Raph Draws midwifed their first public piece “Black Freedom, Black Madonna & The Black Child of Hope” — a 12 by 16 foot ultra-vibrant vinyl mural installed on the Fletcher Free Library for Juneteenth 2022.  From October 2022 to September 2023, Raph Draws was the SEABA Artist-in-Residence, a residency program based in the South End Business & Arts District in Burlington, aimed to provide artists with private studio access for one year at Unsworth Properties to further their creative practice. Raph Draws used the residency to practice large-scale mural work of various mediums. Their recent works include 3 acrylic murals for the SEABA Residency, Burlington Jazz Fest 40 collaborative mural, 3 ultra-vibrant vinyl murals for BIPOC Homestead Conscious Homestead, and Waterbury Anti-Racism Coalition (WAARC) community mural, “Madonna’s Earth.” 

They are currently based in Vermont. Keep up with them on Instagram.

Awards & Recognitions

PRESS

Generator VT. “Black Freedom, Black Madonna, & the Black Child of Hope.” Generator Makerspace, 16 Aug. 2022.

Polston, Pamela. On a Burlington Mural, a Black Madonna Conveys Liberation and Love , Aug. 2022.

“Juneteenth Brought a New Mural to the Fletcher Free Library.” Facebook, Fletcher Free Library , 22 June 2022.

Murphy, Rory. “On a Mural in Burlington, a Black Madonna Conveys Liberation and Love.” NJ News Update, 3 Aug. 2022

Hyde, Marlon. “Vermont Edition: What to See This Winter at Local Museums, from Rare Keith Harings to New Artists.” Vermont Edition, Vermont Public Radio, 18 Jan. 2023.

Fisher, April. Raphaella Brice: The Artist behind the Fletcher Free Library Black Madonna Mural, Burlington Free Press, 3 Apr. 2023.

Fisher, April. “Raphaella Brice: The Artist behind the Fletcher Free Library Mural on Her Rise to Success.” Burlington Free Press, 14 Apr. 2023.

Black Freedom, Black Madonna & the Black Child of Hope | Burlington City Arts. Home | Burlington City Arts.

Scagliotti, L. Burlington artist, design chosen for Waterbury Community Mural project — Waterbury Roundabout. Waterbury Roundabout. 25 May 2023.

Costello, Damian. “The Black Madonna makes her mark in the least religious state in the US”National Catholic Reporter, 21 Oct. 2023.

Costello, Damian. “Mary and the Art of Mothering.” VT Catholic, pp. 20–21, Dec. 2023.

Costello, Damian. “Mary and the Art of Mothering.” Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vermont Catholic , 18 Jan. 2023.

Vermont Public. Art From Every Corner: Introducing ‘Vermont Sonder,’ by Raphaella Brice [Video]. YouTube. 11 March 2024

Owens, M. (2024, March 11). Art From Every Corner: Introducing ‘Vermont Sonder,’ by Raphaella Brice. Vermont Public. 11 March 2024