I didn’t aspire to become immersed in the arts until I had a taste of it–and now, I refuse to go back. Throughout my childhood, my dreams centered on studying law at Harvard. I had thick textbooks on the subject that I would flip through and attempt to understand, but I always returned to novels and poetry. My passion for the written word developed from strong, vibrant teachers in high school and, because of them, I found myself sitting in the English major orientation (almost exactly) seven years ago.
Halfway through college, I declared a minor in digital and multimedia arts (because a double major just wasn’t enough work) after discussing my options with the department chair. He gave me the contact of a gallerist in Culver City, and within weeks I walked through the doors of Taylor De Cordoba for an interview, for which, in hindsight, I was in no way prepared. Somehow, the owners caught a glimpse of potential in my 20-year-old self and offered a summer internship.
Working with them was like using muscles I didn’t know existed, but that I’m glad to have discovered. I was Social Media/Public Relations Manager and visited the gallery twice a week for four hours at a time to complete my duties of researching artists/the gallery/gallerists, scheduling posts using Hootsuite, and being a sponge. I was too shy at the time to take advantage of mingling, and thus art remained a puzzle that I attempted to assemble in doses over the next two years.
After submitting countless job/internship applications during my final year of college, I was selected for an internship through LA County Arts Commission–and unknowingly returned to the path Taylor De Cordoba had laid for me. The internship led to hands-on interaction with various art mediums and styles, all of which was simultaneously foreign and familiar, and I was soon deeply entangled in art. I taught art classes, curated and installed exhibitions, advertised art and artists, and utilized every ounce of knowledge I attained in college lectures, and discovered the passion I lacked in other areas.
Now, as volunteer Marketing Coordinator for Downey Arts Coalition and part-time Assistant with South Bay Contemporary SoLA Gallery, I encounter inspiration in every crevice. My creativity adapted to my surroundings and flourished, and that is what I aim to share through Art Wyndow.
I quickly learned one thing worth sharing with anyone aspiring to be successful in the arts world: keep a slow and steady supply of patience and perseverance handy. Every obstacle I face reminds me that this precarious road I travel is not designed for the faint of heart–but I am elated to share all of it.
Art Wyndow 