To depict the cultural and history of University Heights, artist José Ortiz focused on its architecture, landmarks, and signage on the local streetscape, as a way to portray the people who lived here over time. The title of the work relates to the specific journeys of the areas many residents, from Native Americans, through today's immigrant population and to the idea of travel and how one finds one’s way. 

The first two panels of the 11 panels he created show the land inhabited by the Siwanoy Nation, a branch of the Mohicans, until the late 1600s, followed by representations of the first settlement of Europeans in the area. Cornerstones of the neighborhood are also shown: the Croton Aqueduct, St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, and the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College. The work, which is to be read serially, begins and ends with a Native American symbol that refers to the connection between the many people who have called this place home.

José Ortiz is an Afro-Dominican multimedia artist and art educator. He holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. Ortiz’s paintings layer symbols and myths to create possibilities for the connection between all peoples and cultures. He creates paintings through a process of layering using photography, printmaking, collage, and paint, using his art as a way of communicating past, present and future. He and choreographer Sita Frederick co-founded Areytos Performance Works, a multi-disciplinary performance company that presents contemporary dance-theatre rooted in Caribbean traditions and the principles of social justice.  

Ortiz has exhibited work at Lehman College Art Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, A.I.R. Gallery, among many others. As an educator and arts administrator, José has worked for Henry Street Settlement, The Bronx Museum, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Groundswell, and many other national and international arts organizations.