Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Carlos arrived in Indianapolis in 1986 after completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati. His design studies abroad have taken him to Tokyo, Japan through the Parsons School of Design. Mr. Sosa has been involved in Indianapolis' advertising /design community from both the project and organizational standpoints since 1987. His work includes identity designs for the Indianapolis Indians, Circle Centre, Hoosier Park, IndyGo, The National Institute for Fitness and Sport, and Mays Chemical, among others. He has served as local president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and has served many of the city's visual and performing arts organizations as either a board member, volunteer, or speaker. His former company, Lstudio, a marketing communications company, was awarded minority business of the year from the IRMSDC in 1993.

Currently, Mr. Sosa owns and operates the SosaGroup, a certified minority-owned strategic marketing & design firm which helps integrate Corporate Indiana into the local Latino community. He also has managed a catalog-based, latino-targeted clothing line which included a focus on baseball legend, Roberto Clemente. Currently a resident of Downtown Indianapolis, Mr. Sosa takes great pride in this city and welcomes the opportunity to exhibit his artwork.

As a professional designer, Carlos has not afforded himself the time necessary to devote to his more expressive, more personal artistic side. Although most of his recent artistic expressions have been on stage, he credits all of his success in design to the passion for drawing he developed during his formative years growing up in the projects of the South Bronx. "In public housing, we all dreamed of a better place. I had TV and my sisters to inspire me. My mother sang to me and gave me her dreams for us as a family—to be safe, free and healthy. As a three-year old, I fancied myself a cowboy (yep, on the open range—yeah, right), and actually won my first art contest with a skillfully rendered, lobster looking buckaroo. I was to depict what I wanted to be when I grew up. They gave me a Tonka Jeep (remember those?) for the third place prize. I still have it and will display it at this show. It's interesting what we grow up to be. In a sense, I am that cowboy, wrasslin' up consumers through design, communications and advertising. Funny, here I am, living the life of a hired hand, ropin' the clients, livin' a loner's life—the maverick that I've become. Can ya hear that gee-tar as the sunset lowers itsef on the prayerie? Aw, work wit me people, a kid's gotta dream...how the hell do ya think I got the hell outta the South Bronx, anyway?"

So, today Carlos leads a life of cynicism, cultural pride, entreprenueship, and learning. Hard lessons, recently learned, have served to toughen the callouses of this city kid (who may have done his fair share of taggin up, but ju dint see nuttin, mang!). Ok, it's dark, but still colorful. The state of mind and spirit brought on by these factors have fostered a renewed interest in drawing, painting, and expression for Mr. Sosa. He hopes you appreicate the effort to create.

Hey, buy somethin..."Ju think I do this for love?" Actually, for some of us, there is no other reason...

I dedicate this effort to my mother, Alice and my late father, Carlos, Sr.