About
Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick is a community-based public art organizer, artist, muralist, and equitable food systems advocate based in Lawrence, KS. Her work reflects her Peruvian heritage and focuses on projects that build racial and cultural equity. Some of her murals include Compartiendo Culturas, Sharing Cultures, with the help of the Carver Dual Language School, class of 2019, and Justicia Para Las Madres Inmigrantes, with Horizontes Project in Wichita, K.S.
As a community member, she has served on the Douglas County Food Policy Council, is currently the Food Systems Specialist for the Douglas County Sustainability Office, and has co-coordinated the Eastside People’s Intercultural Center (Epicenter). She is the first Kansas NALAC ALI Fellow and is currently the Program Manager of the Ethnic Markets Initiative: People’s Markets Program with the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, a pilot program ignited by local food policy and research to support equitable food systems via culture sharing and the arts.
“I am extremely excited to participate in NALAC NLI as I am in the middle of managing the Ethnic Markets Initiative: Peoples Markets Program with KCAIC. A pilot program that highlights small independent culture-specific grocery stores via culture sharing and public art installations. I know that Tiendas are cultural centers and they need to be recognized as integral to our social and cultural Latino/a/x needs. I want to excel at my work as manager for this pilot program to allow for the expansion of this program across the state of Kansas.”