Month: March 2019

Travel Tales from the Team: Abby

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At International Arts & Artists, we love hearing about the incredible experiences our exchange visitors have during their programs! From exploring new cities to experiencing different cultures, exchanges expand our understanding of the world around us. We know all about the power of exchanges — in fact, many of our team members have studied, worked, or lived abroad! So, we’re launching a new blog series called “Travel Tales from the Team” where we’ll share more about our own travel experiences.

Meet Abby, our amazing spring intern! A senior at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, she is currently majoring in Cultural Anthropology and International Studies with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.

Keep reading for more on what Abby had to say about her experiences traveling and living abroad!

Have you ever lived abroad for an extended period of time?

Yes! I had the opportunity to live and study in Tanzania for a semester during undergrad. While in Tanzania, I stayed with a host family and took courses in Swahili, anthropology, and ecology. Additionally, I completed an independent research project and paper, living in the field for a month and conducting interviews with Maasai women and men.

I miss the vibrancy of the people, my host mother’s coconut chicken curry and chapti, dancing around with my toddler-aged host brother. I also miss the brilliant cobalt, lemon and crimson kangas, juicy and succulent produce, and swinging monkeys. It was such an incredible experience that it sometimes seems surreal!

What was the first place you traveled to outside of the country?

I believe it was Canada! I was on a canoeing and portaging trip in the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota and due to weather we got sidetracked from our main route and camped in Canada. Thinking about the peacefulness of the pines, lapping cool water, and galaxy of stars and shining moon still calms me today.

Do you have a favorite place that you’ve traveled abroad?

This is a tough question! One very memorable trip was when my family went to Scotland for several weeks. We stayed in a writer’s mansion, explored the cobblestone streets, ate a lot of sausage patties, learned Scottish history, how to clay shoot, and, of course, visited a ton of castles. My favorite day was when we ventured far into Stonehaven to visit Dunnottar Castle on the coast. Crisp wind whipped our hair as we climbed the beige ruins who stood tall as turquoise waves rushed below. It was fun to imagine the royalty living there in medieval times.

Another trip that is highly memorable is the month I spent in Scandinavia! I had the opportunity to travel to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. I was with a college group so we had a fairly busy agenda. I wish I could have spent more time in one or all of the countries. Especially because the locals kept asking, “Why did you come in the winter?” So, I would love to go back during the summer; hiking along the fjords in Norway or cruising the secret lanes of Copenhagen!

What did you learn about yourself while abroad?

Every time I go abroad or travel somewhere new, I am reminded of the deep passion and excitement that comes when I learn from different people, places and cultures. Travel replenishes my curiosity about our world and how we live. I have also learned that some of the best times come when I go with the flow.

Is there a place you’ve always wanted to go?

Greece! I would love to see the many archeological sites from ancient times. I would also enjoy basking in the aquamarine sea on one of the smaller islands, wandering windy streets, and eating up that Mediterranean cuisine.

What advice do you have for people traveling or looking to travel abroad?

Take a leap of faith and go somewhere new! You never know what you might learn or discover about yourself unless you reach beyond your comfort zone. Explore, do not be afraid to ask questions (no matter how “dumb” they may seem), and try not to plan too much.

 

Can you name five women artists?

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Can you name #5WomenArtists? We can! We’re joining the National Museum of Women in the Arts and other arts organizations around the world to celebrate women artists and promote gender equality in the arts.

This Women’s History Month, IA&A is taking the challenge and sharing the stories of several spectacular women artists who have participated in our Exchange Visitor Program. We are so proud to have such brilliant, creative, and inspiring women in our midst that it was so tough to choose only five! Read on to celebrate these artists and join us in contributing to the dialogue on gender inequality in the arts by using the hashtag #5WomenArtists.

Mia Riley

Hailing from Canada, Mia Riley is an emerging ceramic artist who finds inspiration while adventuring in nature. A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design, she has also completed residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, researching wood kiln building, alternative making processes, and the natural disasters that have affected her home province in the last decade.

She recently finished an eight-month long internship with Harvard University’s Ceramics Program as part of IA&A’s Exchange Visitor Program. During her program, she had the opportunity to explore her own art practice and gain hands-on experience running studio operations.

As Mia says, ceramics allow her to depict abstractly her experiences into tangible three-dimensional objects, emphasizing the transience of landscape and subtly referencing our place within the natural system. Her favorite part of interning in Boston was being able to meet new artists and share experiences. “Because the Harvard studio is home to a large number of artists, professionals, and students at many stages of their careers, I had the chance to meet and exchange ideas on many levels,” she told us. “It has inspired me to see how ceramic art and pottery can exist in many different aspects in one’s life and career.”

To learn more about Mia, check out IA&A’s profile on this talented artist! You can also find out more about her work by visiting her website or following her on Instagram!

Romina Schulz Rosas

Romina Schulz Rosas is a Peruvian feminist textile artist and graduate with a painting specialty from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Her work focuses on exposing problems Peruvian women face under current socio-cultural taboos and constructs. More specifically, how female bodies have become territory and space under the colonizing gaze of a patriarchal, oblivious androcentric context which treats them as disposable.

Part of her effort to expose this phenomena is in the creation of her project, Que rico menstruo, where she gives embroidery workshops to begin to dismantle the stigma surrounding menstruation. As part of the project, Romina prompts interventions on pieces of clothing, focusing on the groin area, with materials of various shades of red, simulating a menstruation blood stain.

Romina is currently in the Artists in Residence (AIR) program at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY, through IA&A’s Exchange Visitor Program. The AIR program equips emerging artists and designers with resources and skills to better articulate their practices and contribute to their communities. It combines studio access with a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, regular critical dialogue, and mentorship.

You can find out more about Romina’s work by following her on Instagram!

Stevennina Drassinower

Stevennina Drassinower is an extraordinary sculptor currently interning at Oxman Studios in Washington, DC. She describes her work as relating to sculptural metal, telling us “I make aesthetically interesting things, mostly out of metal. Sculpture is where I found my calling, and metal is where I really found my voice.” Through her exchange experience she learned a tremendous amount about art as a business, refining design and idea generation, as well as technical metalworking skills.

“There is not a single part of me as an artist that has not been touched and made better by my experience at Oxman Studios. I’ve learned sustainable, practical strategies for handling the balancing act between being an emotionally sincere artist, and a regular person with practical needs, and life outside work. At the same time, I’ve been learning to create art that has wildly surpassed my own expectations of what I was capable of.”

“Before coming here, I had a vague dream to make a career selling my art, but had no real idea how to make it happen. In my time at Oxman Studios I’ve experienced the daily minutiae of studio life, and exhilaration of truly inspired creation. When all this is over, and I fly back to Canada, I'll leave knowing that through this experience, my artistic visions have been made more grand, and my toolbox more full.”

You can find out more about Stevennina’s work by following her on Instagram!

Anyuta Gusakova

Anyuta Gusakova is a classically trained contemporary artist from Canada who works in multimedia sculpture and painting. She's a self-proclaimed “sculptor of dreams”, telling us:

“I am a dreamer, I have all sorts: happy dreams and dark dreams. Dreams for children and dreams for adults, 2D dreams and 3D dreams. They come to me when I sleep or day-dream. My job is to materialize them in acrylic or watercolor, clay or stone, metal or paper whichever form they want to take. I help the dreams to escape from their ethereal kingdom and fill our world with their mysterious, irrational beauty.”

Anyuta combines principles of classical art with craft applications, folk, and mythical motifs through her signature brand slip-cast porcelain functional and decorative objects. Her sculptures are on public display at the Vancouver International Airport and Vancouver Playhouse. Additionally, she recently won a commission to design and create a porcelain statuette for the new national Canadian Legend Award and she has been a finalist in several major international ceramic competitions in the United States, Canada, and France.

Anuyta is currently completing a residency program with Pottery Northwest in Seattle, WA, through IA&A’s Exchange Visitor Program. During her residency, she is growing as a ceramic artist, engaging in the community, and further developing her body of work.

To learn more about Anyuta, visit her website or follow her on Instagram!

Liene Bosquê

Liene Bosquê is an accomplished Brazilian visual artist and art educator currently based in New York and Miami. She also knows #WhyHostingMatters! Last year, she hosted exchange visitor Romain for a three-month internship with her studio.

Liene’s work is inspired by the relationship between people and place. She evokes memory, context, and history in the traces, shadows, impressions, imprints, and reflections within her multidisciplinary installations, objects, and site-specifics. She seeks to “investigate the passage of time, which changes place and how we look at place, through the presence and absence of who inhabit these places.” On top of her own art, Liene currently teaches sculpting workshops for immigrants in the New New Yorkers Program at the Queens Museum.

Her work has been exhibited extensively across the United States and internationally, including exhibitions at MoMA PS1 (2016), William Holman Gallery in New York (2015), the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago (2013), Carpe Diem in Lisbon, Portugal (2010), and Museu de Arte de Ribeirao Preto in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (2007), to name a few. Her work has also been displayed at nonprofit galleries and public spaces worldwide.

To learn more about Liene, visit her website or follow her on Instagram!

Learn more about IA&A's programs for artists and start planning your unique exchange experience!

 

Galleries and Growth Galore with Bob

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Meeting new people and exploring different places is what cultural exchange is all about! Exchange programs give students and recent graduates the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures, to share their talents, and to acquire new ones. Perhaps most importantly, exchanges have the potential to broaden one’s perspective and see the world in a new light.

We recently had the chance to catch up with Bob, an exchange visitor from Luxembourg, to hear more about his exchange experience! During his program, he interned with an art gallery in New York, NY, helping plan and host events, exhibition openings, and more. Through his internship, he was also able to work directly with artists the gallery represented. He visited their studios, handled their work, and helped field requests alongside his colleagues. As he told us, “The daily contact with artists and their artworks changed my perspective on the art market and the commitment it takes to successfully run a gallery.”

Keep reading to learn more about his incredible experience in New York!

What impact has your exchange experience had on your life and your career?

This exchange program allowed me to gain professional and practical skills that complement my academic background. Being part of a cultural institution like a gallery or a museum is an incredibly rewarding experience and the expertise I acquired during my exchange program provided me with invaluable insights into the contemporary art world.

With the help of IA&A, I was able to work in one of New York’s most fascinating areas, SoHo, with its countless galleries and artist studios. The daily contact with artists and their artworks changed my perspective on the art market and the commitment it takes to successfully run a gallery. The cultural resources of New York’s museums and institutions broadened my horizon and made me gain memories that last for a lifetime.

What is your favorite memory from your exchange program?

My favorite memory from my exchange program is the evening I spent at Carnegie Hall for the Richard Tucker Gala. I am a great admirer of operatic talents and the Tucker Award is the biggest recognition that an emerging singer can get. It was hence an enormous pleasure to enter the wonderfully decorated auditorium of Carnegie Hall and to witness the high artistic standards of the Metropolitan orchestra that accompanied the singers. I remember the performance of Angela Meade particularly well. She is an American soprano with an agile and powerful voice that was thrilling to hear when it pierced through the orchestra and choir of Verdi’s “I Lombardi”.

What was your favorite cultural activity to do in New York?

My favorite cultural activity was to visit the galleries of SoHo. It was encouraged by my host organization; my coworkers and I would spend our lunch break or the evening discussing the artists we discovered. I would like to point out that the cultural topography of New York is unique as emerging artists receive support from institutions like the Whitney or MoMA and the quality of their artworks is generally outstanding. There is no doubt that New York is the capital of the contemporary art world and provides learning opportunities that I was ready to seize whenever I could.

What advice can you offer to future exchange visitors coming to the United States?

My advice to future exchange visitors is to seize the cultural opportunities of the United States. The museums are among the best in the world and the musical institutions are outstanding. I would also like to point out the importance of travelling as much as possible. My trip to Washington, DC, showed me the cultural diversity of the United States. In addition to the Smithsonian museums I would recommend a tour of the Capitol and the Library of Congress.

What does cultural exchange mean to you?

Cultural exchange is a means to promote friendship and the values of tolerance and respect in a world that faces social and political instability. I believe that the Exchange Visitor Program gives young adults the opportunity to broaden their cultural horizon and to learn not only from the professional framework of the host organization, but from the daily life in a fascinating new country and city. I would strongly recommend to participate in an exchange program as it shapes one’s perspective on the world in a wonderful way.

Learn more about IA&A's programs for arts and gallery management, and start planning your unique exchange experience!