Betsy Casañas on Her Process, Parachute Cloth, and Collaboration - Ep 06
ON THIS EPISODE
This week on First Coat we have Betsy Casañas. Betsy Casañas is a Visual and Public Artist, an educator, a community activist and an organizer based in Philadelphia and Puerto Rico. I spoke with Betsy about how she does community-based public art projects, how she uses parachute cloth, and how she leads a creative life.
You’ll learn about collaboration, large-scale mural projects, and what it’s really like to run an art studio and gallery.
Read the full transcript here.
This interview was recorded in June 2020.
LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE HERE 👇🏾
LINKS
Hispanic Mural Project Dedication video of Betsy’s mural
Sing Because It Is Heard mural by Betsy in Philadelphia, PA
Off the Canvas Mural Arts Program video by LaSalleTV featuring Betsy
Betsy’s Facebook album — check for her process photos and videos
Sanctuary City, Sanctuary Neighborhood collaborative mural project by Betsy Casañas and Ian Pierce
Guest | Betsy Z. Casañas, Artist
Betsy Casañas is a Visual and Public Artist, an educator, a community activist and an organizer. She is the director of A Seed on Diamond Gallery (S.O.D.) and founder of Semilla Arts Initiative. Casañas has 24 years of experience in the arts and has created over 40 murals worldwide.
As a Latina artists who has been working in communities of color around the world I understand the importance of the people in these communities to see themselves reflected in the artwork and in the leaders of the their communities. We have been depicted in a negative light on social media, news and television as second class citizens who should be feared. I believe it is our obligation as artists to reflect the times we are living in and to highlight the people’s story and change the narrative that has been created for us. By normalizing and humanizing our collective stories we create communities that are more tolerant.
Follow Betsy on Instagram (@bzcasanas, #betsycasanas) and check out her website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Your Host | Stephanie Echeveste, CEO & Founder of Distill Creative
Stephanie Echeveste is an artist and art consultant based in Brooklyn, NYC.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram (@distillcreative or @stephanie_eche), Twitter (@stephanie_eche), YouTube (Distill Creative), LinkedIn, and check out her art website.
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