Visionaries and Voices

At the end of March I had the privilege  to visit and meet with artists at Visionaries and Voices in Northside. I couldn’t help but buy some of the amazing art I saw been made there and it was so hard to whittle it down to just these three pieces.

Visionaries and Voices is a non-profit arts organization that is utilized by disabled artists to “make, market, and celebrate” their work.  They have every medium represented in their large cerulean blue building off Spring Grove Ave.  It’s hard to miss the V+V building and the monumental impact this organization has on the artists and patrons involved.

Right as I entered the large gallery space at the front of the building a V+V artist Kathleen Brannigan confidently and decisively showed me the pieces she created for her current show “Up, Up, Up, and Up”.  She was so cool and collected in talking about her work. I envy her assuredness in talking about her work and her process.

I also talked with Ruth Burton about her upcoming work and ask her a ton of questions. Somehow it was easier to talk with Ruth about her work than with many other artists. There was no judgment or competition intermingled, just two artists talking about what, how, and why. I’m really looking forward to see her new show at the end of April, Bird State.

From my visit to V+V I feel motivated and excited to make more work and to keep practicing my artspeak. Talking about work, whether it is your own or others, takes practice.  The biggest thing is being able to let go, really explore the work, and open up to questioning. I hope everyone reading this post takes the chance to visit V+V, set outside your awkward shell, and talk art with some great artists.