Rhea Vedro is a metalsmith creating at the intersection of materiality and collective healing. Her research explores metalsmithing as a cultural signifier of values, power and protection across belief-systems and time. Trained first as a jeweler, her studio practice is primarily hollow-form steel sculpture. In 2022 Vedro began teaching at MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering as a Metals Artist in Residence and Lecturer.

Vedro received a 2021-22 Boston Public Art Accelerator Program Fellowship from the Boston Public Art Triennial (formerly Now + There) and served as Director of Community Engagement for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum from 2016-2021. Her project portfolio includes the City of Boston Mayor's Office of Arts + Culture, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Artisans Asylum, North Bennet Street School, Baltimore Jewelry Center, Vizcaya Museum, Queens Museum, The New York City Parks Foundation, and museums, schools, shelters and creative community spaces throughout the Americas. Vedro holds an MFA in Metalsmithing from SUNY New Paltz.

Veronica Robles is a celebrated Mariachi singer, musician, and Latin American folkloric dancer and choreographer who has become a cultural icon for Latinos in Boston. She began her Mariachi journey at age 14, learning from elder musicians in Mexico City and traditional songs from her grandmother and mother.

 
Veronica plays the vihuela and leads both Boston’s first all-women Mariachi band and a mixed-gender Mariachi band made up of talented local musicians, promoting peace and unity and spreading love through music in the region. She has headlined major events such as the Boston Pops’ Día de Muertos concerts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Celebrity Series of Boston, and Mass Arts Art Museum showcasing her powerful vocals and cultural leadership. As co-founder and director of the Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC), she supports community action and cultural education in East Boston.

Veronica’s career also spans arts administration, multimedia and events production, and TV and radio hosting.

A cancer survivor and inspiring community leader, she has received numerous honors, including Univision’s Top 10 Most Influential Latinos nationwide, the Ohtli Award from Mexico, and a mural in East Boston recognizing her impact. Her work continues to strengthen Latino cultural identity, build connections, and transform lives through the arts.