Connected and Grateful

photo staged by Valentine Aprile, camera operated by Libia Rocha

Earlier this year I was asked to curate an exhibition honoring Women's History Month at 1040 Creative Cultural Center & Gallery in Philadelphia run by Pauline Houston-McCall (and, at that time, Keith Scriven). I adore helping other artists to be seen and I've wanted to do something like this for a long time. This was an inspiring and exciting process as I was able to meet artists that were new to me from Philadelphia and Baltimore while also inviting New York artists whose work I've been drawn to for quite a while.

Additionally, I've been spending a lot of time writing for grants and artist residencies and I'm thrilled to report this work is starting to pay off. I've recently returned from a two week residency at Sierra Madre Artist Residency in Durango City Mexico, the land of some of my ancestors. While there, I immersed myself in painting, did research and conducted interviews for new paintings, recorded movement/dance for a video/short film project, discussed my work with Antonio Ruiz on TV Lobo's program Arte en Foco, participated in a special exhibition and artist talk on May 5th at the Museo De Francisco Villa, and was interviewed by local press. I was also very lucky to connect with galleries there and local artists.

 Outside of the professional, I had a wonderfully personalized experience as the Rocha's, who run the residency program, were a lot of fun to hang out with and were more than happy to assist in my research and share local history. Olivia Rocha even taught me how to make tortillas in her kitchen! It was like being with family and I am forever grateful for this profound experience. You can hear me talk about it here, about 15 minutes into the program,

One of the paintings I did during my residency can be seen in Moments of Gesture, an online exhibition curated by John Hughes.

Once home, I was elated to receive word that I have been awarded a project implementation grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. This grant will allow me to begin a new series of women centered semi-abstract portrait paintings, with video elements. I will share more information about this work at a later date.

In March I began a long-term substitute position at the lovely St Anne's School in Annapolis a where I designed and taught art lessons for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I'm now looking forward to teaching art for middle school students at Bridges Baltimore at Bryn Mawr again this summer.

I feel good, connected to what's important to me, and thankful - I'm able to have my professional creative experiences, make work that matters, and share my skills and knowledge with others. Thank you for taking the time to read my news.