Joel Artista
About the artist
Joel Bergner is a community artist whose large-scale murals span 30 countries across five continents. His signature style blends realism with urban art and the raw expressions of children’s creativity. Engaging local residents, he leads collaborative projects in vulnerable communities, from Syrian refugee camps to American prisons, Brazilian favelas and orphanages in South Africa. Through participatory art-making, he helps communities explore critical issues they face. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Artolution, a nonprofit empowering artists in refugee camps and marginalized communities, Joel mentors young creatives and collaborates on humanitarian art programs worldwide. He partners with UN agencies and NGOs to support sustainable arts initiatives that foster social change. Joel’s work has been featured on NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, NPR, Al Jazeera, and Reuters. His murals and public art projects serve as powerful tools for dialogue, healing, and community-building. He continues to push artistic boundaries, incorporating technology such as VR and AR into his projects. Now based in Washington, DC, Joel lives with his wife and two young daughters, dedicating his career to the transformative power of art.