Artist works on ‘superhero nurse’ sculpture to be on display at Jackson Memorial Hospital

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.

Artist Claudia La Bianca uses epoxy clay to model the head of her new sculpture at her studio in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

“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.

Artist Claudia La Bianca uses gold spray paint to cover a part of her new sculpture on Thursday at her studio in Miami's Wynwood. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

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.

Artist Claudia La Bianca spray paints cobalt blue on her new sculpture at her studio in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

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


About the Authors
Janine Stanwood headshot

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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