Raymond Hernandez
Raymond (“Ray”) Hernandez is a Milwaukee creative and community builder whose work spans music, photography, and hands-on production. With Rustle of Luv he helped craft the Free Luv “found-art” project—hand-made CD-Rs packaged like mini record albums and left in public for anyone to discover. Ray’s photos from shows and events appear throughout the booklets; each little album included lyrics, credits, and images so finders got the thrill of uncovering something personal and complete. The project doubled as meaningful activity for Ray and friends—and as a way to gift surprise art to the city.
Two Decades at the Eisenhower (IKE) Center
Ray spent roughly 20 years with the Eisenhower IKE Center, a Milwaukee nonprofit that empowers adults with disabilities through vocational training, day services, and skill-building toward independence. The IKE Center provides a safe, supportive environment and paid work opportunities—everything from assembly and packaging to kit building—aimed at developing both physical and financial independence for its clients.
A Decade at Brass Light Gallery
Ray also worked about 10 years at Brass Light Gallery, Milwaukee’s long-running maker of handcrafted lighting. His role included light-industrial tasks on the shop floor— like operating a bender to form small brass tabs used to assemble lamps—contributing to fixtures Brass Light has produced in Milwaukee since the 1970s.
Free Luv: A “Found Art” Album Series
From the early 2000s until CDs fell out of favor, Ray helped produce home-burned discs labeled and tucked into fold-and-glue sleeves with paper inners—just like tiny LPs. The team printed covers and a booklet for each copy, crediting musicians and pairing lyrics with Ray’s photos. Albums were left around town—sometimes near the free-weeklies stands in coffee shops—so a passerby could stumble on a complete, curated artifact at no cost. It was part music, part zine, part urban treasure hunt.
Community & Recognition
Ray’s orbit has included local artists, photographers, and educators. Notably, MIAD photography professor Al Balinsky (Emeritus Faculty) documented members of the disability community in award-recognized projects and once photographed Ray for an exhibit. That spirit—centering real people and everyday making—threads through Ray’s work in music, images, and craft.
