Nicole Buchholz, the color-lover behind SolRaya Public Space, is an urban planner and muralist who specializes in joyful public space activation.

SolRaya was created around the belief that public art brings joy and creates a platform for long-term investment in our public spaces.

Nicole is passionate about creating beautiful and welcoming spaces for communities. She has co-led and designed neighborhood pool transformations in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and designed and painted several murals in the South Baltimore area. She has spoken about public engagement and co-design at Project for Public Spaces and City Parks Alliance’s annual conferences.

The daughter of a Mexican mother and a Venezuelan father, the vibrant colors of Latin America are part of her earliest memories. Backpacking through Central and South America furthered her love of bright colors and patterns that infuse her work. An urbanist at heart, she received her MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University.

Nicole lives in Baltimore City with her adventurous husband and three rambunctious boys.

Top image by Mary Braman.

Awards & Honors

2023 Public Art Across Maryland New Artworks Implementation Grant for Francis Scott Key EM/MS for exterior mural

2023 Arts Every Day’s Baltimore City Public School Art Grant winner; provides funding for a 2,000 SF mural for Francis Scott Key EM/MS

2023 Public Art Across Maryland New Artworks Planning Grant for Francis Scott Key EM/MS; work will include a campus-wide arts plan and a design large-scale mural

2022 Community Grants by the Locust Point Civic Association; funding provided for the Latrobe Park Longhouse murals and the Locust Point Community Garden mural

2019 Speaker at Project for Public Space’s Placemaking Week, Swim City: Tapping the Placemaking Potential of Public Pools

2019 Speaker at City Parks Alliance’s Greater & Greener conference, Activating our Public Pools through Pop-Ups

2019 South Baltimore Gateway Partnership community grant; project brought painting, furniture, landscaping, and shade to the Riverside Park pool

2015 Roosevelt Plaza Park Pop-up, Great Places Award for Design; team member

2015 The Pop-Up Pool Project, Knight Cities Challenge Winner; team member

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