FROM BAGUIO WALLS TOUS BIGGEST MURAL STAGE: FILIPINA ARTIST WINS GOLD AND BRONZE IN US NATIONAL MURAL AWARDS

Filipina muralist Venazir Martinez recently won the Regional Gold Award for Region 4 and the National Bronze Award at the 2026 National Mural Awards in the United States for her mural “Between Memory and Bloom,” a recognition that highlights the growing impact of Filipino artistry on the global stage and reflects how a Filipina artist carrying culture, memory, and heritage with her can win big while proudly representing the country abroad.

For Martinez, a Tarlac-born artist who once painted murals across Baguio City during the pandemic, the recognition did not simply come from winning awards. It came from knowing that her art spoke for itself - beyond names, faces, or nationality.

The achievement marked a major milestone not only for her career, but also for Filipino mural artistry on the global stage.

“It still feels surreal, and more than I expected, honestly,” Martinez shared to The LOStories.

The National Mural Awards is considered the only juried body in the United States dedicated exclusively to public mural art. According to Martinez, the selection process is rigorous and anonymous, with judges composed mostly of experts in public art, city government, and urban development.

“They only see the work and the artist statement - no names, no faces. They don’t even know who won until everything is tallied,” she said.

Her Regional Gold covered Region 4 of the United States, which includes Midwest states such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, among others. Meanwhile, the National Bronze placed her mural among the top public artworks across all participating states nationwide.

“So when I found out I won, I knew it was purely about the mural itself,” Martinez said. “That there was intense resonance from the community, the artists, and the jury.”

Martinez first established herself in the Philippines through murals centered on culture, memory, and identity. During the pandemic, she became known in Baguio City for painting historical and community murals that transformed public walls into spaces of reflection and healing. One of her most recognizable works became the mural near one of the major bus terminals, familiar to both residents and travelers passing through the city.

She also designed two festival logos for the Ibagiw Creative Festival, Baguio’s flagship celebration of arts and culture under its recognition as a UNESCO Creative City.

After the pandemic, Martinez moved to the United States to further pursue her artistic career. Despite being based abroad, she continues to return to the Philippines during vacations, creating murals in Boracay and other parts of the country while staying connected to the communities that shaped her journey as an artist.

Her award-winning mural, “Between Memory and Bloom,” became one of her most personal works yet.

“It's probably the most personal mural I’ve ever painted, and also the most universal,” Martinez said. “I felt like I tapped into the deepest parts of ourselves, that quiet place where memory and longing live together.”

The mural was created during her month-long journey across Michigan in 2025, where she traveled through cities such as Wyoming, Grand Rapids, Caro, and Flint before moving on to Pennsylvania. In the middle of constant movement and unfamiliar landscapes, Martinez found herself reflecting on childhood memories from the Philippines, particularly the Santan flower, which became a central symbol in the mural.

As a child, she recalled making bracelets and necklaces from Santan flowers in their neighborhood before giving them away to playmates as small tokens of gratitude.

On the mural’s opposite side, Martinez painted the apple blossom, Michigan’s state flower, symbolizing growth, renewal, and the beginning of new roots.

Between the two flowers rests the image of a woman suspended between memory and transformation.

“She carries memory while she learns the shape of the unfamiliar. I hope this mural captures how identity can drift and still find an anchor, and how it can bloom in new soil through care and time,“ Martinez explained.

For Martinez, winning the award while navigating life far from home made the moment even more emotional.

“And winning this while I was literally in the middle of an intense journey, far from home, it felt like home found me anyway. Through my work, through the walls, it was always there,” she said.

When news of her victory reached the Philippines, Martinez said the overwhelming support reminded her that the recognition was bigger than herself.

“When the headlines came out saying ‘World-class Filipino artistry bringing honor to both the Philippines and the US,’ that meant everything,” she said. “It’s a win for our country and for fellow Filipinos in the diaspora.”

In 2024, Martinez was also recognized as one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in the Philippines, for her groundbreaking work in Arts and Culture.

Through every mural she paints, Martinez continues to carry fragments of home with her, from Tarlac, to Baguio, and now onto walls across the world.