Reyna Noriega partnered with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE™ to create customized ‘Thank You Cards‘ for National Nurses Month to honor Black Nurses.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses everywhere worked countless hours to assist with the high number of patients infected by the virus. Black nurses on the frontlines ensured a proper level of care to those affected by Covid-19. The cards are a heartwarming gesture to show appreciation and recognize the number of Black nurses that helped push through the pandemic. Noriega and BAND-AID® Brand wanted to highlight the resiliency and strength of Black nurses during a mentally, emotionally, and physically taxing time.
Noriega is a visual artist whose unique designs reflect her ethnic and cultural background. As an artist, she recognized the lack of diverse representation within art spaces, and with her designs, she wants to help uplift the communities she is a part of and create opportunities. Her creations incorporate bright and vivid colors that contrast with the hues and tones of the people she includes in her pieces. The Knockturnal spoke with Noriega regarding her partnership with BAND-AID® Brand and the concept for the card designs.
Noriega’s work can be followed on Instagram @reynanoriega_
The Knockturnal: How did this partnership come about? What was your reaction when you saw the finished product of the cards?
Reyna Noriega: When BAND-AID® Brand approached me to create art in the form of Thank You cards for National Nurses Month, I was honored to be part of the campaign. It was important to me and BAND-AID® Brand that these designs pay homage to the healing and care that Black nurses have been providing us during these unprecedented times. We wanted these cards to highlight their resiliency, while celebrating and uplifting them for all they provide to patients every day. I was so pleased with the finished product and how it honors these healthcare heroes.
The Knockturnal: What’s your personnel connection to the Nurse Program? How important was it for you to be a part of such a heartwarming gesture?
Reyna Noriega: My grandmother was an RN for many years, and I saw first-hand the sacrifices many nurses make to care for other people. It takes a special kind of person to be a healthcare provider and she was all things warm, caring, and fierce. Her patients loved her and she loved them. I have also seen the hard work and sacrifices friends of mine have made to join the healthcare field and what it was like for them to be on the frontlines during this pandemic. I am honored to be able to honor them.
The Knockturnal: What do you think gestures such as this do for the morale of Black nurses within the medical field, especially after seeing the amount of work they put in during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Reyna Noriega: According to the American Nurses Association, Black nurses are more likely than their white counterparts to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them physically, mentally and emotionally drained after each shift. Together with BAND-AID® Brand, we wanted to uplift these healthcare heroes and show them how appreciative we are of their efforts. And I especially love how the brand is making a meaningful impact on nurses in other ways. BAND-AID® Brand is furthering its commitment to the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) by giving $150,000 to NBNA for the BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE™ Nurses Recharge Fund, which will be directly distributed to recipients to help ease home stressors such as groceries and childcare, and allow more time for nurses to recharge at home.
The Knockturnal: What was your thought and creation process like when developing the design for the cards?
Reyna Noriega: I wanted the cards to incorporate tones and hues that uplift and celebrate nurses. I took inspiration from the BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE™ product line, which is a collection of adhesive bandages that are made from the brand’s most popular flexible fabric created in shades of brown to embrace the beauty of diverse skin tones. I used colors that I felt would resemble a warm embrace from our nurses while also being vibrant and joyful.
The Knockturnal: Your art is very unique and shows a clear concept of what your brand represents in terms of your ethnicity and cultural background. How important is it for you to implement those aspects into your art?
Reyna Noriega: It is of the utmost importance to uplift the communities that I am a part of. We have been historically undervalued, oppressed, and left out of important conversations. As I looked to the art world for opportunities it was clear that we were disproportionately represented there as well so it was my goal and mission to help change that.
The Knockturnal: Growing up did you always know you wanted to be an artist? What motivates you to create?
Reyna Noriega: I wasn’t completely sure what was possible growing up. I had many dreams, and being an artist just seemed like a cool way to live life. All the art supplies you can ever want, a cool studio space etc. As I got older and matured, art became a way to communicate and to discover parts of myself and it became a way of life. It was the space I felt the most “me” so for that reason I continued to nurture it.
The Knockturnal: How do you define success as an artist?
Reyna Noriega: Being able to do what I love every day already makes me feel very successful. Being able to touch people with my work is also a part of what that looks like for me. I believe that as long as you are able to grow and evolve, keep being curious about life and your message, see growth, all of that is success to me. In my younger years I felt the only way to be successful was to be represented by a big gallery or agency, but I’m learning to create that space for myself.
The Knockturnal: What are you currently working on? Any future projects that fans should look forward to?
Reyna Noriega: I am working on some fun wearable art projects in many reals like beauty, hair care, and fashion. I am excited to be able to reimagine my work that way and bring it to people to utilize in their day to day lives to spark more joy.
