AponteSierra as one of the eight latinos selected nation wide for a National Campaign for HIV Prevention
AponteSierra Working his paper Manipulation Fine Art Technique
AponteSierra working on his paper manipulation Fine Art Technique during his meet the Artist event at Williams Sonoma, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
AponteSierra Leading Stonewall Pride Parade with Florida Department of Health in Broward County
AponteSierra next to one of his Paper Sculptures
AponteSierra Working on Interior Design using live plants
- A bilingual English-Spanish multidisciplinary artist born in Valledupar, Colombia in 1968.
- Emilio Aponte Sierra Paretti is his legal name after married his partner Dr. Robert Paretti in 2015, but in the artistic world he is known as AponteSierra.
- Is from South America, but brought his love of the arts to South Florida in 2002 when he moved to United State of America seeking political asylum.
- AponteSierra was so committed to his craft and his community that when he graduated high school he earned a scholarship to Magdalena University for acting. Instead of majoring in the arts, he chose to major in Fishing Engineering.
- Before leave his country, he was part of the team of environment planners of Fundación Pro-Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta working for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: The world’s highest coastal mountain.
- Guidance Counselor that uses art as a tool of community mobilization with a strategic mindset and ability to translate into tactical action plans.
- Writer of En Confianza Bilingual News Letter of High Impacto Inc.
- Spanish language LGBTQ+ Columnist for “Columbus Al Día” and “Al Día Media”. He create weekly articles offering commentaries and opinions about LGBTQ+ issues. “Detrás del Arcoíris/Behind the rainbow” is his bi-weekly Column in the news paper “Columbus Al Dia”.
- Public Speaker about Social Issues within LatinX Communities in South Florida and Sexual Health including HIV/AIDS: Certify Community Health Worker holding a Master degree of Education in Guidance Counseling. He focuses his work in Public Health particularly the issues of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care. He was the Chairman of both, Latinos and Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) Advisors Groups of the Broward County HIV Prevention Planning Council from 2015 and until he leave Florida Department of Health in Broward in January of 2019. Since 2019 is the HIV program manager of High Impacto, Inc. His health activism for more of 13 years are the reason why the Sun Sentinel in 2017 named him one of the 15 Latinx heroes in South Florida.
- He has been featured within several national campaigns such as but not limited to Start Talking. Stop HIV by the Centers Diseases Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC), My Favorite Poem by Boston University and the Library of Congress, and Loves of my Life/Amores de mi vida by ACLU Florida. He is one of the fourteen Latinx advocates founders of the National Latinx PLHIV network (LatinX+). It is a network of LatinX people living with HIV (PLHIV), and allies, from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
- Artist member of the panel of jurors of “Art To End Aids” Mural Project. ArtServe, Florida Department of Health in Broward County, CBS Miami, and EcoMedia. 2016
- Founder of the Ribbon Project-Art counseling: A counseling approach that use art to helps people improve their emotional well-being.
- Artist participant in Art Serve 2014 Inside Out global art initiativeand part of BROWARD 100: A commemoration of Broward County’s centennial with bold, innovative art and performance projects.
- Third place in the 2013 “Naughty show” of Art United
- Curator/Coordinator of The Pride Center’s Art Galleries. Wilton Manors, FL 2011 – 2015
- Community Liaison Director. Board of Directors World AIDS Museum and Educational Center 2013 – 2014
Art By Emilio AponteSierra 