Americans for the Arts Pre-Conference

Americans for the Arts Conference 2017 Day 1 June 2017I attended the The Public Art Preconference: Expanding the Ecosystem pre-conference to The American for the Arts Conference.I thoroughly enjoyed the panel Favianna Rodriguez spoke on racial equity and what is the face of an artist. It’s something I thought about but didn’t quite have the language to convey. This put into perspective one of the reasons I do art because I was always told my validations were contingent on certain points; Mexican women paint Frida, women have conditions of womanhood, etc. The realization that just by being is in itself a revolutionary act. I can’t be defined by social constructs destructive to my creative process.On a personal level, this trip meant time to process the things that were holding me back, such as working full time while managing a family and art, the passing of my mother. Being able to navigate San Francisco on my own, take initiative to see the sights and attractions, and be outgoing and engaging really stepped me out of my traditional introverted shell. This was not only growth for artistic goals, but personally breached the borders of my comfort zone.Another point I took from Favianna’s discussion was how art initiates cultural change which can then leads itself to legislation. In Seattle, I have the opportunity to utilize opportunities which are setting trends for the public art world on a national scale. The programing I create here could possibly translate to other cities and that’s immensely motivating. Attending the pre-conferences has fueled me in my most successful summer as a public artist to date this year.I’d like to thank Elisheba and The City of Seattle Arts and Culture for the opportunity to grow as an artist.Angelina