Frank Parga Bio
Frank’s background and sources of inspiration provide valuable insights into his life and artistic journey. Born and raised in El Paso, TX, he attended the University of Texas at El Paso and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in Painting and a minor in Sculpture. After spending 4 years in Los Angeles as a video editor he moved to New York City in 1999 and went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 2002. Frank’s lifelong artistic pursuit underscores his passion and commitment to his craft. Most recently Frank completed a large scale installation in collaboration with the NY School Construction Authority and Public Art For Public Schools entitled “Hidden Language.” This project is a low relief artwork installed in the lobby of the R. H. Hungerford School on Staten Island. It measures 38 ft x 8 ft and has a tactile surface meant to be touched by students. In 2020, Frank completed 3 large scale Murals at Coler Hospital (Roosevelt Island, NYC) in collaboration with NYC Health + Hospitals. Frank was also Director of Education at One River School of Art and Design in Larchmont, NY from 2018-2020. He has worked in collaboration with the Brooklyn Arts Council, el Museo del Barrio, Groundswell Mural Project, Creative Art Works and Lincoln Center Education on various creative projects and workshops. Frank is also the recipient of the Jacob T. and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation’s Visual Harlem Grant Program. Frank was a Resident Artist for the Workspace Grant for New York Emerging Artists through the Center for Book Arts in New York City. He was also selected as a Resident Artist for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Residency at the Woolworth Building. He later received the Weir Farm Trust Residency in Wilton, CT. as well as the Joshua Tree National Park Artists Residency, CA. Frank recieved an Artists Community Fellowship through Earthwatch Institute entitled Archeology of the Pacific Northwest in Washington state. Frank has worked as an artist/mentor in the Global Youth Media and Arts Program through World Savvy as well as a panelist for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution Native Arts Program in Washington D.C. Most recently Frank completed an Artist Residency with CATWALK in Catskill, NY. Frank’s work has been shown nationally as well as internationally.