Bossa Nova Baby: The Lungs of the Earth

Immersive Installation — Forest Canopy, Textile, Soft Sculpture, Sound & Interactive Media
PNC Play Space, Alliance Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center — January 2026

Commissioned by Dash Studio

Bossa Nova Baby: The Lungs of the Earth is an immersive, multi-sensory installation that transports families into a reimagined Amazon rainforest environment. Designed for early learners and their caregivers, the work transforms the PNC Play Space into a tactile and interactive ecosystem where play, exploration, and environmental awareness converge.

Developed as a collaborative project, my contribution focused on the design and fabrication of the suspended forest canopy, the large-scale textile mural, and a series of soft sculptural frog forms. These elements draw from research into rainforest ecologies, centering the often-overlooked world of the forest floor—where amphibians, fungi, and microorganisms shape complex systems of life.

Blurring the boundaries between art, education, and play, the installation fosters curiosity and ecological awareness while creating an environment of wonder, care, and discovery. The work reimagines the rainforest as a living, relational system—inviting deeper reflection on our connection to fragile ecosystems.

Role: Canopy design and fabrication; textile mural; frog soft sculptures
Commission: Dash Studio
Client: Alliance Theatre
Location: Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Learn More: https://www.alliancetheatre.org/bossa-nova-baby/
https://www.alliancetheatre.org/person/carla-contreras/
https://www.alliancetheatre.org/person/abraham-dos-santos/

Aqua

Exterior Mural, 1,500 sq ft
Savannah, Georgia — April 2025

Commissioned through Living Walls for Mojo Car Washes

Aqua is a large-scale exterior mural that transforms the architectural surface into a fluid, immersive environment inspired by the movement and essence of water. Drawing from natural elements such as river currents, pebbles, minerals, and aquatic vegetation, the composition unfolds as a dynamic visual landscape that enhances the customer experience through color, rhythm, and motion.

A recurring infinity motif weaves through the mural, symbolizing cycles of renewal, water reuse, and sustainability—core principles aligned with the client’s operational values. Layered transparencies, flowing lines, and organic forms create a sense of depth and continuous movement, inviting viewers into a space that feels both energizing and meditative.

The color palette integrates blues and greens derived from natural ecosystems, balanced with brand-aligned tones and informed by color psychology to evoke freshness, clarity, and vitality. Through this work, the everyday act of visiting a car wash is reframed as a moment of visual engagement and environmental reflection.

Budget: $18,000
Commission: Living Walls
Client: Mojo Car Washes

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Samaras

Public Mural, 1,300 sq ft
North Avenue MARTA Station Plaza, Midtown Atlanta — 2024

Commissioned by Norfolk Southern and Midtown Alliance in partnership with MARTA Artbound

Samaras is a large-scale public mural that transforms the North Avenue transit plaza into a vibrant, immersive visual landscape inspired by the ephemeral beauty of spring. Drawing from the form and movement of maple seedpods—known as samaras—the composition captures a sense of lightness, dispersal, and continuous motion.

Flowing shapes and layered color fields create a surreal, dynamic environment that responds to the energy of the site and the constant movement of commuters. The imagery evokes wind currents and natural cycles, translating them into an abstracted language that invites both pause and passage.

Conceptually, the work reflects themes of outreach, renewal, and collective vitality. The drifting samaras become symbols of growth and possibility, mirroring Midtown’s evolving cultural landscape and the interconnected rhythms of its community. Through color, scale, and movement, the mural reimagines the transit space as a site of encounter, optimism, and shared experience.

Budget: $60,000
Commission: Norfolk Southern & Midtown Alliance
Program: MARTA Artbound

Harmonie

Permanent Public Sculpture
Promenade de Sculptures, SCAD Lacoste, France — October 2022

Commissioned by Savannah College of Art and Design

Harmonie is a permanent outdoor sculpture created for the Promenade de Sculptures at SCAD Lacoste, in celebration of the campus’s 20th anniversary. Developed through a contemplative and research-driven process, the work emerges from sustained observation of natural systems and seasonal transformations, particularly within the Chattahoochee River landscape in Roswell, Georgia.

Rooted in a practice of attentiveness, the sculpture reflects an ongoing inquiry into how ecosystems shift over time—how light, texture, color, and form evolve, and how these changes shape human perception and interaction. Organic rhythms found in river currents, rock formations, lichen growth, and shifting vegetation inform the sculptural language, resulting in a composition that feels both grounded and in motion.

The work embodies a triadic relationship between artist, nature, and creation. It translates moments of sensory and emotional resonance—such as the stillness of a sunset, the quiet complexity of forest ecologies, and the atmospheric presence of lavender fields in Provence—into a spatial form that invites contemplation.

Situated within the historic landscape of Lacoste, Harmonie extends the site’s natural and cultural beauty while offering viewers a space to pause, reflect, and attune to the subtle harmonies that connect environment, body, and creative expression.

Budget: $32,000
Commission: Savannah College of Art and Design
Location: SCAD Lacoste, France
Learn More: – https://mobile-guides.scad.edu/promenade-de- sculptures#/sculptureshttps://www.scad.edu/blog/scad-lacoste-unveils-promenade-de-sculptures
– https://www.scad.edu/blog/scad-lacoste-unveils-promenade-de-sculptures
– https://www.artandobject.com/news/scad-unveils-promenade-de-sculptures-provence

Fabrication Process

Mozley Park Basketball Court

Public Art Installation, 5,600 sq ft
Atlanta, Georgia — September 2022

Commissioned by SCAD SERVE in partnership with the City of Atlanta

This large-scale basketball court mural transforms Mozley Park into a vibrant, community-centered visual landmark in Southwest Atlanta. Designed as part of SCAD SERVE’s public art initiative, the project reimagines the recreational court as both a functional and symbolic gathering space.

The composition draws inspiration from the visual language of African Kente cloth, integrating bold geometric patterning and a dynamic color palette of yellow, purple, blue, and white. At its center, a circular motif references both a lemon slice—acknowledging local history—and the Ghanaian Ananse Ntontan (spider web) symbol, traditionally associated with wisdom, creativity, and the interconnectedness of knowledge.

Through its scale and chromatic intensity, the mural activates the court as an immersive environment that fosters joy, movement, and social interaction. The work reflects a commitment to community engagement, cultural dialogue, and the transformative potential of public space through art.

Recognized for its impact, the project received a Community Design Award from the City of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning.

Award: Community Design Award, City of Atlanta Department of City Planning
Commission: SCAD SERVE
Location: Mozley Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Learn more: – https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/full-court-finesse-mural-project-paints-atlanta-basketball-courts-in-vivid-colors/7IMPITKU5JBPXL6IB2GA2QHIPA/
– https://www.11alive.com/article/news/community/basketball-courts-with-art-atlanta/85-4ffb0b2f-daba-4969-b58a-a64ed5eb2c15
– https://www.artsatl.org/today-in-street-art-scad-mural-initiative-brings-the-joy-of-color-to-atlanta-parks/
– https://boldjourney.com/meet-carla-contreras/

Multiplicity in Color

Public Mural, 375 sq ft
Shops of Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia — March 2019

Multiplicity in Color is a vibrant public mural that celebrates Atlanta’s cultural diversity through the lens of fashion, identity, and self-expression. Conceived as an “Ode to Fashion,” the composition merges stylized faces, bold geometric forms, and patterned surfaces into a dynamic visual tapestry.

The interplay of features, textures, and accessories reflects a transcultural and evolving community, where individuality and collective identity coexist. Layered compositions and overlapping perspectives create a sense of movement and multiplicity, echoing the energy of a city shaped by diverse influences.

The color palette—balancing warm and cool tones—is inspired by Atlanta’s summer sunsets, infusing the work with a sense of vibrancy, warmth, and atmosphere. Through its bold visual language, the mural transforms the commercial space into a site of cultural reflection, celebrating diversity as both aesthetic and lived experience.

Client: Shops of Buckhead
Location: Shops of Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia
Scale: 375 sq ft
Learn more: – https://scadconnector.com/2019/05/24/scad-graduate-paints-mural-at-the-shops-buckhead/

Thank You, Healthcare Heroes

Temporary Chalk Mural Installation
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia — May 2020

Created in collaboration with Savannah College of Art and Design alumni and faculty

This temporary chalk mural was created at the main entrance of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding as part of the SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival. Developed during a moment of collective uncertainty and resilience, the project served as a gesture of gratitude toward healthcare professionals on the front lines.

Through vibrant color, expressive mark-making, and an uplifting visual language, the mural transformed the hospital’s entryway into a site of appreciation, encouragement, and human connection. The work aimed to bring moments of joy and visibility to those dedicating their labor and care to the well-being of others.

Ephemeral by nature, the chalk medium reinforces the immediacy of the message—an offering rooted in presence, community, and collective acknowledgment.

Collaboration: SCAD Alumni & Faculty
Location: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia