Interview with AOTCE's Valerie Fair

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Tell me how you got into the arts.

My mom is an artist, she paints and draws so she exposed me to art at a very early age.  I went to Quaker school in Pennsylvania and studied Georgia O'Keefe in 3rd grade, and my dad took me to the Louvre at age 7 to see the Mona Lisa.  So it has always been around but I tried to deny the connection for a long time, until it totally overwhelmed me like a wave.

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Did your early interactions with the Quakers have an influence on you or your art?

Yes.  I think my early Quaker education had a massive impact on me as a person and as an artist.  Quaker school was an oddly diverse and inclusive experience.  We had to problem solve and talk our problems out with our peers.  The Quakers also believe in an inner light -- I think there is an inner light in my work.

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Can you tell AOTCE a little about your European experience?  Was it what you had hoped?  What countries were you in and did you create and show art?

I went to Finland for a residency and collaborated with other artists.  We performed collectively to show our work.  Later I went to Lake Como, Italy and collaborated with a new group of artists to produce an abstract transmedia video.  In the same year I traveled to France, The U.K., Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Russia and Switzerland.  I made more work in Switzerland but I did not show.  My experiences in Europe were not what I expected for personal reasons not necessarily work related.  An American woman of color, traveling by herself to different countries produced surprising results.  My time in Europe definitely inspired a piece I did for a show in Brooklyn the following year.  It was a large piece of gold burlap, I sewed the words "we are here because you were there."  And draped the thread colors that matched some of the colors of the flags in places I visited.  It was impossible not to see the immigration crisis happending in some of these places.  There was a palpable tension about "belonging."

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What type of art work do you make, generally?

I started with film and sculpture and I still work with both.  I tend to do more immersive installations now.  I am like an Experience Atist.  I make a world that tends to be populated with images and sculptures of my own creation but the works are interactive, I am a part of the work.

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Is your art at all influenced by the events of the day?

I am not sure there is always a direct connection to the events of the day or the time but it is always all connected... I certainly take Toni Morrison's call to action for artists very seriously. I believe as an artist I do have a responsibility to work more and get the work out there and not to retreat or despair despite the political climate. To be an artist you have to constantly face your fears.

 

Do you currently have an exhibit or anyplace we can see some of your work?

My last exhibit was at the luxury hotel, The Thief in Oslo. It was a major learning experience and it took a lot out of me... yikes!!!

I have a website and I post a lot to my Instagram.  Amberdoe.co is a good place to see my work and my email is on my site so people can always contact me amberdoe@gmail.com  I'm happy to chat about art always!  I will hopefully be installing new work at the Navajo Indian Reservation in Marfa, Texas later this year.

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Do you have a fan base of people that believe in your work?

I have a limited but passionate number of fans yes. I am really grateful to them.  I keep working and won't give up on myself because of them!

 

Can you tell me a little about how you got into the Scottsdale Show, 11 Miles of Color,  and why it was important for you to do it?

Right before Scottsdale I did a lot of work that was shown in Europe and I really wanted to feel accepted and understood by an American audience and curatorial staff... I apply to a lot of things but Scottsdale took a chance on me and I enjoyed the experience.  I had no idea what the Arizona market really is... it seems really focused on traditional southwest images, and fine arts... paintings with native Americans and mountains and I knew I was not going to fit into that market... so Scottsdale surprised me.  I don't think I am advancing in the Arizona market as we speak.  Scottsdale was an anomaly.

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Some people believe that everything is art driven, i.e., cups, tables, beds...everyday things.  Are you of that mindset?

I think a lot of nature is connected to art so maybe I am of that mindset... there is a lot of beauty and the grotesque in everyday life and art certainly aligns with that!

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Have you been able to make a living from your art?

Not a long term living.  I was able to do it from 2013 until October of this year (2016).  I have debt related to college that must be paid each month.  I was a pretty successful fundraiser and grant writer but some years are easier than others and this was a hard year...

 

Can your experience at getting grants and fundraising help new artist by telling AOTCE readers how to apply and its importance?

Grant writing is just one way and artist should be creative and open to other ways of funding.  Even if they sell useful things. 

 

What is your take on usefulness vs art for art's sake?

Well I think applying for grants started while I was attending artist residencies you need proper space and time to build a case for your art and the money to make more if you don't have a built in fan base or audience. I feel like I am always trying to make a case for why I do what I do... it's important and exhausting.  Like you said earlier persistence is key.

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Amber Doe interview continued