The sculptor’s work aims to raise awareness among farm workers

A New York sculptor, born in the Dominican Republic, uses his work to raise awareness among farmworkers and the challenges they face.

Wilfredo Morell has been sculpting pieces of art since he was a teenager searching for scraps of leather to work with. After serendipitously taking a class in college related to metal sculpting and welding, he fell in love with it.

“It gives me an incredible sense of satisfaction, which is something I don’t do with people anyway,” Morrell said.

Morell was born in the Dominican Republic and lived in several countries before moving to New York City in 1976.

“It’s great, you know, to celebrate our heritage, but I think one of the great things about this is that in this day and age, it’s a celebration of all cultures,” Morrell said.

Being half Haitian and half Dominican, Morel developed a passion for raising awareness about how agriculture plays a role in people’s lives and the struggles farmers face. Many farmworkers in the Hudson Valley are from Latin American countries, he said.

“It’s very easy for us to be completely gullible, because as soon as we’re at the dining room table, for example, tasting the delicious salad and the delicious fruit, we take a moment to think about the people responsible for making it happen, and those people are,” Morell said. People like you and me.”

Morrell works out of a studio at Greig Farm in Red Hook. He met Norman Gregg, who owns the ranch, while traveling in Mexico nearly 20 years ago. After discussing his business, Greg told Morrell that he had the space and steel to continue his work on the farm.

“He scoops metal and then uses it, and he has an imagination,” Greg said.

The location was perfect for Muriel. He still uses scrap materials, such as tractor parts and old tools, to create sculptures.

“When you’re on a mission for social justice and all that, it’s most effective when you’re within that population, within the group that needs a voice, that needs that support,” Morrell said.

Many of his pieces are on display at Greig Farm, as well as throughout the Hudson Valley. It reflects the journey that farmers of Spanish heritage take, as well as all cultures.

“If I can use art as a vehicle to convey this topic, to create a space where we can talk about how to preserve, how to continue to support (farms), then we will be part of this whole situation,” Morrell said.