Ruben Natal-San Miguel, "Nykki (It All Comes Out in the Wash)", 2019, East Harlem, NYC. Saturday, September 21, 2019. 5:40 PM. 72 Degrees. Dye Sublimation on Aluminum Photograph.

Ruben Natal-San Miguel is a self-taught artist, architect, fine art photographer, curator, creative director, and critic who was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in New York City. His stature in the photo world has earned him awards, features in major media, and countless museum and gallery exhibitions. 

Before becoming an artist, Natal-San Miguel worked in finance and was in the World Trade Center when it was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. Since surviving that terrible day, he has dedicated his life to making art that celebrates the lives of the marginalized and oppressed, especially LGBTQ+ and communities of color. 

His photographs are in the permanent collections of El Museo Del Barrio in NYC; The Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY; The Contemporary Collection of the Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina; The Time Out Youth, Charlotte, NC; The Bronx  Museum for the Arts; School of Visual Arts, NYC; The Fitchburg Museum of Art, Massachusetts; The North Carolina Museum of Art at Raleigh, NC; The Minneapolis Institute of Art; The Leslie Lohman Museum of Art; The Studio Museum of Harlem; The Museum of The City of NY; The Provincetown Art Museum; The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Museum Center at Vassar College; Kruziega Art Museum; Hope College, Michigan; The Griffin Museum for Photography; The Art Crawl of Harlem; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Colby Museum of Art at Colby College, Maine; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa; The Newark Museum of Art, NJ; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC; El Centro at Hunter College, NYC; and Wave Hill Art & Cultural Center, Riverdale, NYC.