When Courage Meets Creativity, A Review
The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center hosted an artist talk, When Courage Meets Creativity, to close out the group exhibition We Are Enough. The exhibition was curated by Studios Inc Artist-in-Residence Harold Smith and showcases 55 resilient artists that have survived a number of struggles. The artist talk featured several artists from the exhibition.
The first artist to speak at the event was Mark Cook. Cook, who has undergone several spinal surgeries, detailed his struggles with being able to paint after his surgeries. Following his operations, he became unsure of who he was, but with support from his wife he found the courage to keep painting. The second artist in the series, Crissi Rice, spoke about the importance of women of color coming together to embrace their natural hair. While pregnant, Rice found out she would soon need surgery to remove a tumor. Art helped her to work through this difficult time. With support from her family and community, she has shown and sold work, as well as created KC Curly, a photoshoot that brings women together to celebrate their natural hair.
Following Crissi was Trey Loomis. A former student of the curator Harold Smith, Trey was a visual arts major who graduated from Paseo Academy. At 2 years old, Trey was in a house fire that left him legally blind as well as needing multiple surgeries. Reading from an article he wrote about Trey for KC Studio, Harold says, “The real magic, however, was after Trey finished his work, he would pull out his drawing supplies and draw. Every other day (we were on a block schedule then), he would come in, complete his work without any fanfare, and then draw.” The fourth artist to speak was Crystal Major. Around age 2, Major was diagnosed with diabetes, and 10 years ago, Major became blind. As difficult and strenuous as it was, Crystal didn’t give up. She felt the love from her family and now paints as a form of self-love.
The fifth and final artist to talk in the series was Sue Moreno. Moreno calls herself a “triple threat”: a lesbian, a Chicana, and an educator. Growing up, speaking Spanish was discouraged in school. Growing up in America, the artist and her family were trying to live the “American Dream”. It was clear to Moreno just how few Chicanas there were around her, especially attending the University of Iowa where there were hardly any Chicanas. Although she hated school, Moreno ended up being an art teacher. Throughout her life, Sue says she has learned to be strong, and proud of who you are.
It was inspiring to hear artists from my community speak about their journeys and how impactful art has been in all of their lives. As an artist from multiple backgrounds, I feel inspired more than ever to share my story through art, as well as to continue to support artists from my community.
