 Hello, my name is Carlos Martinez, I was the RSI president with the Lothra Map Project in 2009. I'm now the co-founder of Iblis Collective. Iblis Collective is a group of people coming together to develop community art projects. We as an artist, we're community members, neighbors, planners, artists in an effort to address different issues in our community from the idea of involving people in public space, the idea of creating a platform for artists and thinking about the different issues that are currently happening in our own community. Last April 27th, we invited all our neighbors and friends to come out to the Leverage Family for Real Grand. This is one of the projects that Iblis Collective has been collaborating with neighbors with the idea of reclaiming an abandoned cemetery and the idea of using the space as a way to build community and through the idea of making a community garden in the space. My experience with the Lothra Map Project was very unique. It was opportunity for me to learn new skills, specifically the idea of engaging communities and community organizing. Since then I've been working with different members in different parts of New York City with the idea of reclaiming public spaces for them to envision spaces according to their specific needs. For example, access to the waterfront or access to spaces that were abandoned or other utilized and rethink about these spaces as a way for them to reuse them or repurpose them for the specific community needs. The Lothra Map Project pushed me into the idea of engaging communities in the public realm, the idea of engaging people in an underman or in front of the underman in a sidewalk. It was very challenging but at the same time very rewarding process. Since then I've been very interested about growing in that field and seeing the opportunities to build community and trying to create change. Since then I've been very interested about all the pieces that are part of the public space from sidewalks to plazas, parks and always the idea of engaging people in these spaces. The advice that I would give to myself 10 years ago as an artist in residence with the Lothra Map Project would be like not to fear. It would be a very challenging process of engaging people in the street and inviting them to your own project but everything is going to be alright.