Olivia Peguero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olivia Peguero
Born	1961 (age 63–64) Las Salinas, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic
Nationality	Dominican Republic; United States
Known for	Painting, sculpture

Olivia Peguero, born in 1961, is a talented artist from the Dominican Republic and the United States. She is known for her beautiful landscape and plant paintings, and also for her sculptures. Olivia spends most of the year painting outdoors in the Dominican Republic and Florida. This way of painting, called en plein air, means she creates her studies and many finished artworks right in nature.

Unlike some other artists from the Dominican Republic, Olivia uses oil paints. Her style is more like traditional European art. She often shows themes of life, like birth, existence, and death, through her paintings of flowers. Two important messages in her art are protecting old forests in the Dominican Republic and showing pride in Dominican heritage.

In 2007, Olivia started the Peguero Arte Libros Foundation. She worked with art collectors and companies to create the Art Books for Education Program. A big part of the money from her art sales goes to this foundation.

Olivia Peguero's Early Life and Art Beginnings

Olivia Peguero was born in Las Salinas, a town in the Barahona Province of the Dominican Republic. She grew up in small towns like Miches on the east coast and Las Salinas in the southwest. After finishing high school in Santo Domingo, she moved to New York City to join her parents.

Even though she didn't have much art exposure as a child, Olivia was inspired by the "Dutch Masters" style of painting. This style, known for its detailed and realistic look, seemed perfect for showing the rich, green environment of the Caribbean. While many people think Olivia's art is only about tropical islands, she also trained in traditional ways of painting buildings, plants, and landscapes. Some of her early paintings were done in the beautiful Lake District in England.

Olivia Peguero painting in the small village of Stonethwaite, in the Lake District National Park, England

Olivia Peguero's Education and Training

Olivia went to college in New York and Florida. She kept improving her unique art style during her studies. She earned a bachelor's degree in fine art studio painting from Florida Atlantic University. She also has a bachelor's degree in management information systems from Mercy College and a master's degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.

The Peguero Arte Libros Foundation

Olivia Peguero founded the Peguero Arte Libros Foundation and the Art Books for Education Project. This project helps bring art education to children in rural areas of the Dominican Republic. In 2007, it was clear that many children in these areas didn't have a chance to learn about fine arts like painting, sculpture, poetry, or story writing. This was a big loss for a country so rich in music and dance.

One of the foundation's programs gives Spanish language art books to rural schools. These books cover painting, sculpture, poetry, and writing. For schools without a library, these books become the start of a collection for all students. In 2013, the foundation started another important program called "Education for Rural Children." This program helps keep young children from farming areas in school instead of working in the fields. The foundation visits farms and partners with agricultural businesses to help families understand how important their children's education is.

Summer Hay in Borrowdale, (2003)—Borrowdale, Lake District, England

Art and Protecting the Dominican Rainforest

The Mariposa Cocoa Preserve is a special place owned and managed by the Peguero family. It combines growing organic cocoa beans in a sustainable way with protecting wildlife and nature. Located near Miches, this preserve can only be reached by walking or riding a horse. The beautiful landscapes within the preserve were a main subject in many of Olivia Peguero's earliest paintings. Tours of the Mariposa Cocoa Preserve are by invitation only, and there's an annual trip for artists.

Olivia Peguero's Art in Embassies Program

In 2019, two of Olivia Peguero's important artworks were chosen for the United States Department of State's Art in Embassies Program. They were displayed in an exhibition in Chișinău, Moldova. The first painting, "The Emerald Hills of Quisqueya" (2003), uses symbols to highlight social and environmental issues Olivia saw while working in the Dominican Republic countryside. The second artwork, "The Cow on the Beach" (2017), shows the landscapes around Miches before new tourist developments and the effects of climate change.

See also