El Barrio muralist remembered.
Today I celebrate my 54th birthday, and I can’t help but think about all the amazing people who have made this life journey so special for me—my parents, my children, my wife, my brothers, childhood friends, acquaintances, and family friends who have transitioned to the afterlife. I carry each of you with me.
Today, I especially want to recognize my friend Tito Rolon.
Bottom left and center New York State of Mind – Tito Rolon The House of Dolls. Martha Cooper © 1988
When I first started painting murals on 118th Street, Tito was already putting our block on the map artistically. Tito was a traditional artist who painted murals using house paint and acrylics. His anti-drug murals incorporated newspaper cartoon characters that became powerful symbols of anti-drug messages throughout our community.
This was during a time when drug abuse was having a devastating impact on our neighborhood. For many of us, painting became a way to give our community something to believe in, to stay positive and a form of activisim.
In 1991, Tito and I, along with my mentor Luis Hernandez, collaborated on the Drug End All Dreams (D.E.A.D.) mural. That mural marked the beginning of my journey as a muralist in East Harlem.
From there, my journey continued. I went on to collaborate with many incredible artists and paint numerous memorial murals throughout El Barrio—using art to honor our fallen, tell our stories, and keep the spirit of our community alive.
Looking back at 54 years of life, I realize how much of my journey was shaped by the people who believed in creativity, community, and the power of art.
Thank you, Tito, for being a good friend, a great artist, and an even greater human being. Your contribution to our community and to my own journey will always be a part of my story.
El Vocero Puerto Rico News Paper Article – Popular Murals in El Barrio 1994
And to everyone who has been part of my life—those still here and those who have gone before us—thank you for helping make this journey what it is.
54 years… and the journey continues.
Oliver Rios
From his son Alex Rolon
Tito loved his community of East Harlem, and he fought hard for changes in the 90s. He expressed this through his artwork with drawings like grim reapers that had a message “Drugs End All Dreams” (D.E.A.D) that acted as a wake-up call to drug users or murals that stated “racial harmony” with three ethical baseball players indicating we are all equal if we can all stick together no matter what race or background you come from. But the house of dolls was the most memorable out of them all. It was a protest against drug dealers that gathered across the street. The message was for them to move on because people are watching them, represented by the dolls. The drawings on the buildings showed the consequences that they can face if they continued. Tito would still make a difference with his artwork showing his appreciation to doctors, hospitals, and also law enforcement going into police precincts with drawings he did for them to show his gratitude for the people that they protected and also the lives that they saved. Those drawings are still hanging in offices till this day. He was and forever will be known as a true people’s champion and will be greatly missed.
Alex Rolon
