NET Nights at Moore: Murals

NET Nights at Moore

A new program for students and graduates of local art and design colleges to network with peers and heads of area business associations and arts organizations as well as build relationships with other young professionals.

These lively evenings feature guest speakers, workshops and seminars designed to help Philadelphia artists and designers make creative contacts in our community.

Presented by The Galleries at Moore in cooperation with The Locks Career Center and Moore’s new Business Scholars in the Arts student leadership program.

2010-11 NET Nights at Moore are supported by Your Part-Time Controller and Moore College of Art & Design.

2009-10 NET Nights at Moore were supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Business Scholars in the Arts (BSA)

The Business Scholars in the Arts is a new program at Moore College of Art & Design that supports a select group of transfer students. The program supplements the students’ art and design training with business-related experiences outside of the classroom. Our group is particularly interested in entrepreneurship. We encompass a wide range of majors, from Graphic, Fashion, and Interior Design, to Illustration, Art History, and Art Education.

Our goal is to acquire the skills necessary to network within the professional art world, which will ultimately aid us in opening our own businesses or taking on leadership roles in a company or organization. The first year of the Business Scholars program stresses this networking process. To that end, we have established a collaborative relationship with the Galleries at Moore to provide support for NET Nights. These lively evenings feature guest speakers, workshops and seminars designed to help Philadelphia artists and designers make creative contacts in our community.

The purpose of this blog is to continue the conversations started at NET Nights and to provide resources that will enable emerging artists and designers to profit from the expertise of the speakers. Look to our blog for our interviews with speakers, our suggestions for interesting upcoming events and links to useful web-sites.

The BSA Students:

Laura Bonvini

Amber Callahan

Melissa Chancer

Amanda Corropolese

Samantha Edmonds

Christine Ferri

Chriztie Kaufmann

Sara Stanton

Haoren Yu

NET Nights Advisory Committee

The NET Nights Advisory Committee is comprised of local artists, designers, curators and arts administrators, business professionals, professors and students from various disciplines and backgrounds. NET Nights programs are the product of thoughtful discussions between these committee members, sharing ideas, insights and suggestions to stimulate new relationships and networking between emerging artists and designers and business and arts professionals in Philadelphia.

Click here for Advisory Committee Blog

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a mixed-media artist of Latin American and Caribbean descent that creates work connected to family histories and memory. As an arts educator, Ortiz uses the arts as a tool for communication to bridge communities. She has designed and created over 30 large scale public works nationally and internationally (Fiji, Mexico, Ecuador & Costa Rica) and is a recipient of the Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grant (2006) and Transformation Award (2008.) She has participated in the Cultural Envoy Program of the US Embassy in Juarez, Mexico and Suva, Fiji where she was selected to train local artists in techniques for engaging communities in the arts.

You note that your work represents those who have contributed to your journey. Who has helped you the most to become a successful artist and educator?

First and foremost, my parents, who are both immigrants, made the difference by giving me a lot of positive support and encouraging my success. My Mother told me, “Whatever you do, I know you will do the best you can." This motivated me and contributed to the drive I have.

Two women have become my mentors for the past seven years, Magna Martinez and Julia Lopez, who form the art collective Las Gallas with me. We are all first generation citizens who share common themes in our artwork and work to impact positive change in communities, as well as organizations. We work to create positive solutions to negative situations and help the community's voices be heard.

How did Moore contribute to your journey?

I started as a Young Artist Workshop (YAW) student and had an art teacher that truly believed in me and made me realize, for the first time, that I had the ability to make art into my career. This reinforced my decision to come to Moore for my undergraduate degree and pursue being a professional artist. While I was at Moore, I took advantage of every opportunity that was offered, which helped me grow as a person and artist. Moore played a key role in my ability to own and know my own skill.

How is working abroad different from working locally?

I went to Ecuador in 2001. That was my first time abroad. It was a different environment. I was working with children in an indigenous community. The adults were in charge, and the children did what they said. They had no fun and no voice. I train teachers in common arts or enhance their curriculum both locally and internationally. I build resources and knowledge, but I don't take over. I'm from Philly, so people are generally okay with me locally. Abroad, I'm a young American woman, so it's a little harder. I'm battling stereotypes on a larger scale. I don't just do a project and get out. I provide training for local artists and community leaders wherever I am. They sustain the teaching and learning after I leave.

How have the communities you've been to changed with art?

In Fiji, they already had artist studios, but they weren't occupied. The people had low self-esteems as artists. I held workshops to discuss stereotypes and the roles of an artist. Then we discussed how they defined themselves. We identified problems and found solutions. In Mexico, a collective emerged, and they've completed seven murals since I've been there. The community organizers and workers are still working on projects. When I'm there, I do intense work during short times. I can't do a project without the community's help. I don't really start with a concept for the mural. Instead, I work with the people. I give them the right mindset and enhance their skills. I give everyone tasks to contribute to the mural. After I'm done, I always stay connected with the communities.

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