MIAMI – With sweeps of spray paint, Claudia La Bianca was giving life to a new sculpture at her studio in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. It will be on display soon at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
La Bianca said her mission of honoring healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over. The new piece is much smaller than the 104-foot tall mural that she painted last year on the walls of a parking garage building at JMH.
The idea for her new 13-foot tall sculpture, she said, was born out of one of her sketches. She drew a heroic woman who wore a red cape and green scrubs to her fight with COVID-19.
“It’s a superhero nurse, and she’s standing tall with a shield.” La Bianca said. “And in her hand, she has a heart, because that’s what they do: They care.”
The Jackson Health System announced La Bianca’s new sculpture will be on display at JMH during the National Hospital Week from May 9-15.
The Italian multimedia artist who lives in Miami is known for portraying powerful voluptuous women. A handwritten sign in her studio reads: “I am a powerful, inspirational, creative woman!”
La Bianca has training from Sicily’s Institute of Arts and the New York Film Academy, but she started spray painting as a teen in the streets of Bagheria.
For the new sculpture, she used styrofoam for the shape and epoxy clay for the head. She said she covered it all with a protective hard coat. Neon pink, gold, cobalt blue, and other brights will cover the superhero.
“If a patient sees it, it will lift up their soul,” La Bianca said. “But if a nurse sees it, I think they will be so grateful that they have been recognized.”
Related social media: A work in progress