“I was born in Pelileo South America and adopted at 18 months old and my parents raised me in the Rogue Valley. Art has always been a passion of mine and a form of therapy. From sketching to photograph, pottery to doing painting I enjoy all type of artistic forms. As a mother of two boys I have found myself doing more arts and crafts than anything and enjoy spending my time creating my art with my boys. In a lot of my art I tie in my connection to Ecuador and Pachamama in patterns and techniques. I welcomed my first born during the pandemic and art was a way for me to express my feelings around becoming a mother in the midst of a global pandemic. I am looking forward to learning from other artists, new techniques and getting back to practicing my art.”
I am 21 years old, a poet, singer, songwriter, dancer, social justice collaborator, and aspiring multi-media artist. I am passionate about storytelling as a medium of art, and have always been drawn to film and music and their alluring, almost magical quality to capture and engage individuals in an immersive experience that can take on any meaning. I love to move emotions through song and body movement, and have found both extremely healing for me in the last few years. I have been making art since I was a child, always getting my hands messy with glitter, smeared graphite, and paints. I love to do pencil sketches of my surroundings and cartoon-like portraits, and recently have been exploring collage making. I love the challenge of telling stories or creating a coherent scene through diverse textures and shapes. I am deeply inspired by the divine feminine, elements of nature, indigenous/latinx culture, human emotion, and the internal world of sensory experience.
I look forward to doing work in this cohort to ignite inspiration not only in myself, but in my community through collaborative art projects. I want to share the spark of creativity with as many people as possible, and I am so excited for the opportunities that may arise through this connection!
I am Tahiz Perezchica a Chicana artist here in Rogue valley. I have lived my whole life creating art as a way to express my inner thoughts. Also how I overall dealt with my surroundings. I use any medium I can get my hands on like illustrations in my sketchbook, colored pencils, acrylics, oil paints, or even digital to express myself. But even since losing my home due to the Almeida fires. A space like a ScenicG mentorship, where I can resume creating and expressing my art; helps me understand and cope with my loss.
Nick Simons is an artist, student, and Siletz Tribal member based in Southern Oregon. His practice consists of digital art, paintings, and comics depicting autobiographical experiences through a distorted, comical lens. Nick is passionate about bringing awareness to subjects such as generational trauma, addiction, and cultural revitalization; he aims to use art as a tool to do so.
ScenicG Mentors 4-5 local BIPOC individuals a year who are 18-24 yrs of age. Over a year’s time the goal is to help them transform their creative concepts into reality by developing their creative confidence, strengths, and skills. They will have a chance to engage with guest artists from various art forms, go on field trips, do workshops, learn about building their brand and marketing their artwork, and experience the quickly developing world of digital art. Most importantly, ScenicG will provide a safe and inclusive space for them to refine their artistic aesthetic while exploring their own identities, finding their place in the world, and building their community, all with an equity, diversity and inclusion lens. At the end of the year, they will get a chance to celebrate themselves and their work in a big group showcase.
My workshops provide a caring space for processing the trauma that BIPOC youth have experienced. In my workshops, I share my lived experience as an artist of color with students. I intentionally lean into students’ intersectional identities including race, ethnicity, gender, class, sex, disability, citizenship, and religion. I encourage them to bring their own identities into their work while guiding them through introductory drawing/painting, scenic painting, airbrushing, mural design and sign making. For ScenicG mentees, I alter their experience depending on what they want to learn, always encouraging mentees’ creativity in proximity to their identity. I connect mentees with opportunities and incorporate life skills necessary for thriving as an artist. I help them navigate oppressive systems on their own terms, and/or encourage them to follow their art practice.
Contact us to learn more!
Low-income BIPOC youth in rural communities often lack the social and cultural resources to learn about artistic opportunities, as there are few arts programs that specifically serve BIPOC youth living in poverty. Because of COVID-19 and the wildfires, the opportunity gap has grown even larger. With my connections and experience, ScenicG mentorships and art workshops provide a gateway to opportunities, resources and networks for BIPOC youth in Southern Oregon.
Wow, there are some amazing people in our community. In this Spirit of Community Moment, we are introduced to the Fields Artist Fellowship. Gabriel Barrera a recipient and a local artist in Southern Oregon uses his grant to mentor young artists in his community. Watch to see how he has helped changed these young peoples lives.
Sponsored by Oregon Community Foundation
