A ripple-effect from the Artists Residency

At the 2025 Artists Residency at the Center, Uruguayan artist Daniel Martinez spent the week creating plein air watercolors of New York cityscapes and talking with fellow artists-in-residence. He left the Residency feeling inspired—not just by the streets of New York, but by the community and structure the program provided.

“I returned home with a desire to do something more than just paint watercolors—knowing that it is an important medium for connecting with people,” said Daniel. “So, I decided to join forces with different groups of artists to work on two distinct projects.”

Since his time at the Residency only six months ago, Daniel has helped found Uruguay’s first International Watercolor Festival that will bring together watercolor artists from all over the world.

Along with 9 other artists, Daniel developed a vision to start a new foundation. “After completing my residency at the LDS Center for the Arts—and after sharing my experiences with the group—we moved forward with fresh ideas. This foundation will be named ‘Fundación 1 de junio’ (June 1st Foundation), and its headquarters—or home base—will be called ‘Casa de las Artes’ (House of the Arts).” Progress for the new foundation and a location to house it is developing quickly.

“The Residency may not have changed the way I paint, but it certainly changed my vision of art and gave me a boost that is already yielding results I could not have imagined by the end of my week there.”