Rockford artist enshrines the most iconic Latino musicians with digital art

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new display at the Nordloff Center highlights the contribution of Latino artists to global music.

The “Pop Latino” display was created by digital artist and DJ, Victor Rivera, aka Monsta Vic.

“My father is a musician. My brother is a musician. I’m kind of a black sheep. I became a DJ,” Rivera said. “I’m very much into music. It’s something I’m very passionate for and it’s a part of my day-to-day life. It’s also part of the life of my people. My Mexican people who live in Rockford, we just love music.”

He said choosing which artists to highlight was his biggest challenge. He turned to Facebook and asked users, “Who are the most iconic Latino artists of all time?”

“Selena, Vicente Fernandez, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz…very iconic in their respective genres and also to their countries,” he said.

Rivera creates most of his work, including sketches of musicians, on his phone. He says he chose a pop style of art to appeal to younger people and sees the display at the Nordlof Center as a way to draw attention to all the Rockford Public Library has to offer.

“The library has over 300 Spanish books. They have books by Latino artists. The library is very much a tool for all of the community,” he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.