Latest / philly has heART / Little Sánchez Studio feat. Valentín Sánchez-Stoddard

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Little Sánchez Studio feat. Valentín Sánchez-Stoddard · philly has heART

0:15
We're going to Paris. Ooh la la. How has your
0:20
weekend been? Humid. Right? Oh my God. So hot.
0:24
Last night, black tie wedding. Partially outside.
0:29
Yeah. To my knowledge, or at least I don't have
0:32
a linen black tuxedo. I don't think there's such
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thing. Yeah. A couple layers in the Longwood
0:40
Conservatory. Extra steamy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:44
Eventually, we made it to the air -conditioned
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room. But the wedding was from a friend that
0:51
we met through the arts. She's chair of the PMA
0:55
Young Friends, isn't she? Yes, she is. Do you
0:58
want to say her name? Yep, Kelly Farley. Shout
1:00
out, Kelly. Now, Kelly Bowlings? Mazel. Exactly.
1:06
Beautiful, beautiful wedding. Surprise at the
1:09
end. A Longwood private fountain show with lights
1:14
and music. Casual. Food, delicious. Flowers,
1:17
everywhere. Weather. Hot. How about you? Petit
1:22
Garçon and I went to Cecilia Paredes by my side
1:26
or back of me at the Print Center yesterday.
1:28
How was that? After like weeks and weeks of sharing
1:31
it on the outro. You got there. We got there.
1:35
Beautiful. She had both the first floor and the
1:39
second floor. The first floor was a series of
1:43
photo performances. She camouflages her body
1:48
against intricate patterned fabrics reminiscent
1:52
of Victorian parlors, allowing herself to disappear
1:56
into the surroundings. Holding it up right now.
2:00
Hey guys, check the show notes. Lovely. Incredible.
2:04
How it lines up is just... Amazing. It wowed
2:09
Petit Garçon, too. Beautiful floral prints that
2:13
then, wow, and quilted prints that blend in with
2:19
the figure and the background. Amazing. Very
2:22
cool. Yeah. On the second floor, there was an
2:26
installation called Wishes. Paredes recounts
2:32
a singular experience while in a Peruvian church
2:34
where she happened upon an urn filled to the
2:37
top with wishes written by anonymous parishioners
2:40
on slips of paper as entreaties to a saint. Wow.
2:44
Over the years, she's collected numerous wishes
2:47
from people around the world, and in this specific
2:51
installation at the Print Center, she includes...
2:54
the wishes of our visitors and they are printed
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in one long line strung together on a ribbon
3:00
of paper that winds through the entire gallery
3:04
on the second floor back i had to tell petit
3:08
garcon not to try to touch it in the third gallery
3:11
second floor front room it's a series of photographs
3:14
of a woman mostly in an abandoned spaces Yeah,
3:20
same woman, abandoned spaces, but seems to then
3:24
pull from those spaces. So in one, it is pulling
3:30
from the nature that is growing into the space
3:33
and then into the woman. Another is taking what
3:38
seems to be like an old weaver and then creating
3:42
a woven dress of the subject as well. broken
3:49
tiles from the abandoned space as well then matches
3:55
the dress the subject is wearing very neat to
4:01
meet the space to the subject yeah thank you
4:05
for explaining i love it 95 Degrees is not going
4:10
to keep us from checking out the last production
4:13
of Tara, Bodies and Territories. No, it's not.
4:16
Our original tickets were rained out and we were
4:20
postponed to today. You excited? So excited.
4:25
Same. Throw us in the woods. Throw the sound
4:29
on. Let the art happen in front of us. It's going
4:32
to be great. Da Vinci Art Alliance is still emergency
4:35
fundraising. They ran into a $120 ,000 shortfall,
4:40
have made significant progress. They only have
4:44
until August to make it up. And so we're linking
4:47
the fundraiser in the show notes. Now on to the
4:51
conversation. On to the conversation. This is
5:07
Robert Marsh, and you're listening to Philly
5:09
Has Heart Podcast. In this podcast, we sit down
5:12
with artists, gallerists, educators, curators,
5:15
and other creatives who comprise the Philadelphia
5:18
art world to discuss upcoming performances, exhibits,
5:22
and other events and initiatives that are not
5:24
to be missed. The art scene in Philadelphia is
5:27
so rich that it can seem daunting. Consider this
5:30
your weekend cultural recommendation. With me
5:33
always is my producer, Lucinda Dyerland. Hey,
5:36
hey, hey. And today we have with us Valentin
5:40
Sanchez -Stoddard of Little Sanchez Studio. Thank
5:45
you so much for joining us today. Thanks for
5:47
having me. Yes, yes. So as always, we ask our
5:52
guests to share their origin story with us. Can
5:56
you take us back and share with us where art
6:00
started with you? Again, thanks for having me
6:03
here today. It's like I don't want to go super
6:06
into detail because we could literally be here
6:08
for like hours, days, centuries. Pretty much
6:12
my... origins i guess uh i'm originally from
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the dc metropolitan area i'm from arlington virginia
6:21
and i went to school in richmond virginia i am
6:25
i guess a first generation immigrant my mom is
6:28
from el salvador and my dad is originally from
6:31
new york not new york city he's from the suburbs
6:36
I guess you could say art was really encouraged
6:39
in my household. So my dad is retired now, but
6:42
he was a freelance cinematographer for more than
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30 years. And actually, my parents met in El
6:48
Salvador during the Civil War in the 80s. So
6:52
I honestly feel like that has really... I think
6:55
like affected or informed my own art practice
6:59
in terms of being a very curious person. I love
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kind of like delving into like historic roots
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and I don't know. I'm like super into science,
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super into history. And I love. when those things
7:15
intersect with visual art. I've also lived a
7:18
lot of places as well. So again, I'm from Virginia,
7:22
but I also did a year of AmeriCorps back when
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I was 22 years old. So I actually moved to Arizona
7:30
because I basically just wanted to get super
7:33
away from everything I knew. Yes. Because I think
7:35
that's like what you do in your early 20s. You're
7:37
just like, I don't want to be anywhere near my
7:39
parents or my family. So I went out to the desert.
7:43
I hated it. I absolutely hated Arizona at first.
7:49
I was like, why would anybody live here? It's
7:51
hot here. There's nothing but sand. There's just
7:53
a lot of dust. It was just night and day. It
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took, honestly. almost that entire year to really
8:01
get comfortable with it. And then it was actually
8:04
really hard to leave. Just to backtrack a little
8:07
bit, I went to college at Virginia Commonwealth
8:09
University, the School of the Arts, and I graduated
8:13
with a BFA in photography. I think I'm like kind
8:16
of like maybe jumping ahead. But again, pretty
8:19
much since I was like younger, I did drawing
8:22
and painting and all that kind of stuff. And
8:25
then... I think when I was like in middle school,
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I thought I was going to be a fashion designer.
8:31
And then by high school, I got really into photography.
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And I feel like my dad really encouraged that
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because that was his own background. He studied
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photography. I think that was just really encouraged.
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It was really fun for me. And I started digitally.
8:46
And then I went back and learned darkroom, I
8:50
think, in ninth or 10th grade. And then I kind
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of went away from that for a while just because
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I think I thought it was like hard. And then
9:00
and then I ended up actually going to school
9:02
for photography. And I was, again, kind of going
9:05
back to that history part. I was literally in
9:09
between choosing to go to school for anthropology
9:11
or photography. And obviously those like overlap
9:15
very well. Or they can. And I chose photography
9:19
and I was honestly very happy that I did. I spent
9:24
a lot of time in the darkroom. I like super fell
9:27
in love with film photography. I would very regularly
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have 10 hour days in the darkroom. I like just
9:36
loved it so much. It's also been one of those
9:38
things that I constantly yearn for is like a
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darkroom again. That also like fits into my my
9:47
daily life or like my schedule with like work
9:50
and all that now. Yeah. There have been so many
9:52
influences. So also after college, I ended up
9:56
actually teaching English in Mexico for four
9:59
months. I went to Guadalajara and I taught. English
10:05
at the university over there. And I honestly
10:07
feel like I was very influenced by just like
10:10
a lot of like the artesanias. I don't know if
10:14
either of you have have been to Latin America.
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There's just so much art. It's like ridiculous.
10:19
It's saturated. It's saturated. All beautiful.
10:22
Yeah, it's highly detailed, very vibrant. I feel
10:25
like there's a lot of people that just figure
10:28
out how to work a craft. So I think that has.
10:33
been a really big influence on me is just how
10:36
do I learn how to do something? And that's always
10:39
been something that I think has been honestly
10:41
instilled in me since I was little. Kind of like
10:44
work with what you have or recycling and recycled
10:47
materials. I think that that's a really big immigrant
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thing in general. How do you utilize things more
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than once? Or like, how can you recreate or repurpose
10:57
something from something else? So I feel like
11:01
living there and then also being in the desert
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really informed in my 20s. Even like my color
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palettes that I used, earthy colors, but also
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very vibrant colors. And I think even before
11:16
then, I liked a lot of like children's book illustrators
11:19
or like authors like Maurice Sendak. Eric Carle.
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Eric Carle was a great one because I love how
11:26
much mixed media he does in his art. I feel like
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I was really informed by a lot of like illustration
11:32
when I was younger, went into photography. And
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then honestly, nowadays, I kind of I'm trying
11:40
to kind of bring back photography. It's been
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kind of hard for me for some reason, but I really
11:44
like mixed media art. And again, just kind of
11:47
training myself how to like do things. Yeah,
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I don't know. I do a lot of ceramics. I still
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doodle a lot. I want to try and again, kind of.
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make different artistic practices like meat.
12:01
Like I really would love to bring more photography
12:04
again, maybe into ceramics. I've seen some really
12:07
crazy ways that people print photography on ceramics.
12:10
I think I've always really liked art that also
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uses scientific processes. Great. Yeah. So like
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darker and photography, anything with chemicals.
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Yeah. I love printmaking. I remember I did etching.
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When I was in high school, that's also something
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I would love to try again. That's fun because
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that's super chemical processes. You have to
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use venting hoods or whatnot to do them. I guess
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I kind of like art that could be a little weird
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and dangerous, I guess, for you. I don't know.
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It's not just like I am just drawing on something.
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That's cool. That's fun. But I love kind of like
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the surprises I think that you can get in those
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chemical processes. Art that... Potentially needs
12:55
an OSHA team if you mess it up. That's been such
12:58
an incredible journey. How did that then turn
13:01
into your professional journey? So my professional
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journey, again, I graduated with a BFA in photography
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and. Hmm. I've had a lot of jobs since I graduated.
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I'm 33 now. So it's been a little over 10 years
13:18
since I graduated college. As far as like my
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professional journey, I've really done a lot
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of different types of jobs. I have done everything.
13:30
From obviously like food industry to like out
13:34
in Arizona, I worked some really intense jobs,
13:37
but were also, they were very, very rewarding
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jobs, but also emotionally draining. I worked
13:43
at a shelter for unaccompanied minors, which
13:46
is interesting because that, you know, is coming
13:48
really into the news again. And I also worked
13:52
at a rehab treatment center for teens. So I feel
13:56
like a lot of my earlier professional work that
14:00
i've done was working a lot with like at -risk
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youth working with them like through art so i
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feel like i did a lot of therapeutic arts with
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just like the young folks that i worked with
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so for instance with the unaccompanied minors
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i mean there was a lot of dysregulation because
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they're like in a place that they don't want
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to be. And they're also terrified of possibly
14:26
being deported. It was, it was again, a really,
14:29
really intense thing, but I was really able to
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like use art to like, I think kind of just like
14:34
bridge that gap or just like. helped the students
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feel a little more comfortable. I used art there
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a lot, even though I was just kind of like a
14:41
classroom teacher. Everyone knew that I was like
14:44
the art teacher at the shelter. And then at the
14:48
rehab center, it was kind of the same thing.
14:51
Like there was an actual art teacher there, but
14:53
all the kids knew I was like. big artist and
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I would always just like use art to like help
15:00
them calm down or just like if they're bored
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because they were bored a lot of the time and
15:06
like this rehab center was It was kind of like
15:09
an alternative to like juvie for a lot of the
15:12
kids. So it was like a mix of they were there
15:16
for like mental health crises. They were there
15:19
for like behavioral issues. It could be a mix
15:22
of both. I was able to just like connect with
15:25
them like through art. And I think also I've
15:30
just been able to use art a lot as. kind of even
15:34
like a means like through, let's say like language
15:36
barriers or cultural barriers. So when I was
15:41
in AmeriCorps, I was a neighborhood engagement
15:45
coordinator with the city of Phoenix. But one
15:50
of the projects I got to lead was actually a
15:52
community mural with some of the students. And
15:56
at that school, it was something crazy like...
16:00
I think there were something like 40 different
16:03
languages spoken at that school. Oh, wow. Amazing.
16:06
Wow. It was wild. Yeah, but for instance, just
16:09
working with populations I don't really know
16:12
much about. I don't know about now, but there
16:15
was a really big Somali population over there.
16:18
I don't speak the language, but I feel like I've
16:22
always just been able to utilize art even when
16:25
people feel really uncomfortable. Yeah. It's
16:27
kind of like a way to just... bridge that gap,
16:30
which I think is really special. And then I guess
16:33
kind of like when I came here to Philly, I've
16:37
been in Philly since February of 2018. So I'm
16:41
coming up on seven and a half years. This is
16:44
like the place I've lived the longest since like
16:48
where I'm from. I feel like Philly definitely
16:51
feels a lot like home. A lot of people that are
16:54
from Philly say that I'm a Philadelphian now
16:56
because I've been here for a while. You've been
16:59
here for two Super Bowls, yes? Two winning Super
17:02
Bowls. Oh, no, no. I actually came right after
17:04
the, I think, like, a week or two after the last
17:08
win. We might, which is actually really funny.
17:11
Yeah, we might be able to do that, though. Because
17:12
there was, like, a famous photo, I think, that
17:14
someone took of, like, a cop car on fire, and
17:17
there was, like, Philly Elmo. Yes! or something
17:19
okay so i missed that one okay that was a good
17:23
one i came when it was like so many blizzards
17:26
it was like terrible like coming from arizona
17:29
back east and i was like what am i doing here
17:31
oh this is miserable from desert to snow yeah
17:34
yeah it was terrible um but yeah no last it was
17:38
cute it's like i really don't care about sports
17:40
like but there is something really special about
17:43
i think I mean, it really is like a working class
17:47
city, I think, for so many people. So I think
17:49
to have a big city like this, like win something
17:54
like that is really exciting for even people
17:56
that are like not even sports people. We are
17:59
now a sports podcast. Breaking news. Breaking
18:03
news. Over back to you guys. So you've been here
18:07
for seven and a half. Almost seven and a half.
18:10
It's going to be seven and a half in August.
18:13
Yeah. So basically, since I've been here, I have
18:16
kind of continued to do like a lot of the therapeutic
18:19
arts. Like I worked at Fleischer and exhibitions
18:23
when I first moved here. It was like finishing
18:26
out a grant. So I was I was only there for like
18:28
10 months. But for instance, like I worked with
18:31
like a group of women who are mostly from Mexico
18:35
and Guatemala. I mean, I speak Spanish, but like
18:38
I was able to like. just kind of like work with
18:41
them on like a public art piece. So ever since
18:44
I've been here in Philly, I've still kind of
18:47
been working with like therapeutic arts. To like
18:50
some degree. So I was working at Fleischer as
18:54
an exhibitions assistant. And I worked on a lot
18:59
of like community projects. And then also just
19:02
like helping with like installation, which I
19:04
find very fun. I kind of like all parts of exhibitions,
19:08
like the process. I would love to continue just
19:11
like doing more of that work. And then I've done
19:15
like a lot of teaching artist residencies since
19:18
being here. I've worked with Fleischer basically
19:22
since 2018, kind of, like, in that role, like,
19:25
here and there. So I've worked with, like, some
19:28
of their, like, partner schools in South Philly.
19:31
I worked at Taller Puerto Rican in Kensington,
19:35
like, for their after -school program. And then
19:39
I worked at Moore College of Art most recently,
19:43
and that was, like, for their... like youth artists
19:47
workshops or young artists workshops. So that's
19:50
working with like high schoolers, kind of like
19:52
pre -college type of stuff. I think I always
19:55
just like approach my art practice when I'm working
19:57
with others with just like a big, like a big
20:00
point of like patience and just like, you don't
20:03
know where people are coming from. I don't know,
20:07
bring my own background. I'm also like in recovery
20:09
that actually informs a lot of my art, like art
20:13
practice and like the approach that I take. to
20:16
working, I think just like with others in general.
20:20
What do you think has been the draw to the education
20:24
piece? That, that seems to have been more than
20:29
anything, a through line through your story.
20:31
For sure. Yeah. I mean, I think at the end of
20:33
the day, I definitely, I love. working in education
20:38
preferably not in schools yeah right so like
20:44
um you know currently like right now i work at
20:46
pafa and i mean it is a school but it's also
20:51
a museum i think i i've always really loved museums
20:55
and i think that kind of actually takes me to
20:58
like i guess like more like currently uh last
21:01
summer i got a graduate certificate in museum
21:05
studies from university of washington i'm trying
21:09
to figure out like what that means for me in
21:12
terms of how do i bring like my art practice
21:15
into like museums or just like my education practice
21:20
again i feel like there's so many intersections
21:23
of of things that i like to do personally yeah
21:29
so with education it's like It definitely is,
21:33
like, the through line and, like, the connecting
21:36
piece. Even it's, like, how can we educate others?
21:43
Not even necessarily, like, I am going to teach,
21:46
like, an art lesson and this is what you're going
21:48
to, like, make and then leave with. I would even
21:52
say it's kind of like storytelling in a way.
21:53
You're doing it each one of these things. I don't
21:56
think it's just like, hey, this is how you're
21:58
doing art. Like you're creating space for each
22:01
of these people to express themselves and to
22:07
express themselves through different mediums
22:10
all the time and through art and share also as
22:16
an outlet for themselves that. they might not
22:20
have had before. And you're creating the space
22:23
for them to consistently be able to do that in
22:26
each one of these pathways that you've gone on.
22:29
And so even through their hardest periods, you're
22:34
giving them an outlet, which is great. Again,
22:39
I think I love the education aspect. Bring us
22:42
to your art specifically and what you have created
22:47
then. in your time being alive yeah sure you
22:55
know okay you know you started with like with
22:58
your photography right you changed from digital
23:00
to to dark room right yeah but now where where
23:06
has your where has your art taken you oh yes
23:10
that's like a big thing i would say like i really
23:12
noticed a pretty big pivot in my artwork back
23:15
in like 2018 actually so that was the first time
23:20
that's the first and only time i've ever actually
23:22
been to el salvador it was a really incredible
23:25
trip it was also a really intense trip i know
23:28
i cried a lot at some points also because like
23:31
you know at that point i had also like i've been
23:34
out as like queer for like a long time at this
23:38
point and then i've also been out as like non
23:40
-binary also I think it was, like, since that
23:43
year. But just, like, I definitely had, like,
23:45
a moment of just, like, oh, my God, like, if
23:47
I had grown up, like, queer, like, in El Salvador,
23:50
that would have been really, really tough. And,
23:54
like, again, like, I've met other Salvadoran
23:57
artists that have, like, moved away from there
23:59
now, and they've also, like, yeah, there's definitely,
24:02
like, an underground scene because that exists
24:04
everywhere around the world. There's always the
24:06
underground scenes, but it's also just, like,
24:08
how safe are you? like day to day. Right. So
24:12
I was really happy to be there, but I definitely
24:14
feel like I had to hide parts of myself. Several
24:17
years ago, I worked with impact services and
24:20
the Kensington corridor project. And it was like
24:23
a, it was like a grant right before COVID. Uh,
24:27
it was like a call for artists to, to do like
24:29
little, like. window paintings or like little
24:32
murals and storefronts okay to basically just
24:35
kind of like build up the businesses that have
24:37
been there for a long time so i ended up applying
24:40
i ended up being one of like the lead artists
24:43
i think there was like several of us that were
24:45
chosen for different storefronts and then it
24:47
didn't happen for like I think almost like, no,
24:51
like a year. Like the start date was like December
24:54
instead of like April or something that year
24:56
because of COVID. So I ended up actually getting
25:00
to pair with a botanica that has been there for
25:03
like, I think over 20 years. Wow. And it's actually
25:06
owned by a Greek guy. No way. That I think married
25:10
a Dominican lady. Okay. He's been there for like
25:13
a long time. So I actually ended up getting to
25:16
do a mural for that storefront. And it's been
25:18
really cool because that has gotten zero graffiti
25:23
since it went up in like 2021. It's still up
25:27
today. Yeah, it's still up there. So that's like
25:29
really cool. I had like a lot of fun with that
25:31
project. I love the aspect of like mural making.
25:34
I luckily had an opportunity to be part of the
25:39
Our Market project. And it's like a really multifaceted
25:42
like art installation, mural, storytelling, like
25:47
kind of archiving project. Gotcha. Which is really
25:51
fun for me. So I ended up being paired up with
25:54
Carlo Rosa, who I mentioned earlier. So I helped
25:58
kind of more with like the... block painting
26:01
for his like big mural that is above Casa Mexico,
26:05
which used to be Connie's Rickrack. And that's
26:08
kind of a memorial mural. They're in the ninth
26:11
street market. We're trying to not just call
26:12
it the Italian market. And that was with Fiera
26:15
Studio and also with Mural Arts. Valentin, where
26:20
can people find you both online and in real life?
26:24
okay so in real life i'm actually getting ready
26:28
to move to port richmond i'm actually pretty
26:30
excited about the move it's like a different
26:33
art scene and i feel like in that area and also
26:35
there's a lot in kensington going on too so i'm
26:37
really excited about that um so in person i guess
26:40
you can stalk and find me somewhere if you look
26:44
hard enough in port richmond and I have a couple
26:49
upcoming things. On Friday, June 27th, I am actually
26:53
teaching a recycled resin ring and magnet class
26:57
at... The Philly Magic Gardens as part of their
27:01
Twilight in the Garden series. So I think it's
27:04
like BYOB. There's like I think a live violinist
27:07
and then there's a teaching artist, a .k .a.
27:10
me this time. And then I am vending once again
27:15
on Sunday, August 31st for this Sunday pop up
27:21
series that is happening in conjunction with
27:24
Cloud Nine Clay and Foreign Cafe. I would love
27:28
to take more commissions from people. This is
27:31
the place to say it out loud. Yes. And put it
27:33
out in the universe. 100%. Manifest that. Manifest
27:36
that. Online, I do have a website. If you literally
27:40
go to www .littlesanchezstudio .com. So you can
27:45
find me there on Instagram. Same deal. It's just
27:48
Little Sanchez Studio. And so we have some rapid
27:52
fire questions to close us out. Okay. Can you
27:55
describe the Philly art scene in one word? Honestly,
28:01
I would say pretty nurturing. Maybe that's two
28:04
words. I would say nurturing. Cheese steaks with
28:09
whiz or without? Without. Nice. I like the Cooper
28:12
sharp on it. If you had to pick one medium to
28:15
work with for the rest of your life, what would
28:17
it be? That's so mean. So sorry. That's so mean.
28:23
Honestly, I think the first one that just popped
28:25
out to me immediately was Pain Dang. Favorite
28:28
Philadelphia neighborhood. I love South Philly.
28:31
Honestly, I feel like there's like multiple little
28:33
areas in South Philly that I love. Setting the
28:36
scene. The PMA is on fire, but you have a superpower
28:39
to save one wing. Which one do you save? I don't
28:43
know if it's just like the East Asian art. Oh,
28:45
yeah. Specifically, there was like this really
28:49
amazing section of just like Chinese pottery
28:51
and ceramics. And it's like the attention to
28:54
detail. Stunning. Stunning. I basically wanted
28:58
to like pass out and throw up because it was
29:00
like so beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, you save that
29:04
wing anyway, because then you can have that tea
29:06
house forever. Oh, yeah. Oh, that too. Yeah.
29:10
Yeah. Basically, I feel like that. I forgot.
29:12
I totally forgot. Because I was thinking of the
29:13
ceramics and you're running out of the Japanese.
29:15
Honestly. Yeah. I think just the East Asian art.
29:19
Perfect. Section. Favorite Philadelphia based
29:24
artists people are sleeping on. I feel like there's
29:27
a couple really cool ones. I love Isaac Scott's
29:31
work. He's also a really good ceramics teacher.
29:34
I know I mentioned him before, Carlo Rosa. I
29:38
also love Kekuli Velarde's work. She does like
29:42
really crazy ceramics and paintings. What is
29:46
your favorite beverage of the moment? I'm actually
29:49
having a bubble tea right now. I'm actually having
29:51
a mung bean one. That's not my favorite flavor,
29:54
but it's interesting. I feel like also recently
29:57
I've just been really enjoying like, A really
30:00
good classic soda, like a good birch beer. You
30:06
know what I mean? Just like the classic. Throw
30:08
it back. It's got to have the real sugar. Oh,
30:11
yeah. It has to have the real cane sugar. Yep.
30:12
Okay, last question. F, marry, kill. Mondrian,
30:18
Basquiat, Pollock. F, Pollock. I would marry
30:23
Basquiat, and I would kill Mondrian. Valentine,
30:27
thank you so much for your time today. It was
30:30
great to meet you and hear your story. Thank
30:34
you so much. What a beautiful conversation about
30:49
education and art and really being able to pull
30:56
people through moments of trouble and struggle.
31:01
That was great. They describe it more as a string
31:05
of jobs, but really it's building a career through
31:08
art therapy. And I don't think that we have had
31:11
anybody on the podcast yet who has approached
31:14
art from that perspective. On a more humorous
31:20
note, if you want to call it that, Robert, have
31:23
you read that headline yet? You know the one?
31:25
The museum goers accidentally breaking the fragile
31:28
crystal covered chair? Oh, the Van Gogh chair?
31:33
We have seen the rail. We have seen the security
31:34
footage. It's been making the rounds on Instagram
31:37
and I'm sure TikTok. Oh, yes, definitely. Break
31:40
it down for those who haven't seen. So these
31:42
tourists, unnamed so far. We don't have a nationality
31:49
yet, correct? I swear to God, if these are Americans,
31:51
I swear to God. In an Italian museum. The Palazzo
31:58
Maffei. Took it themselves to have a seat on
32:03
a piece of art, which is a chair. And it clearly
32:09
states in two languages not to touch the art.
32:14
To have a funny photo. the wife ostensibly yeah
32:19
tries to sit first and pose for a picture it's
32:23
that hover on the toilet yep exactly and then
32:27
the husband who doesn't have to hover exactly
32:31
lost his footing actually sat down on the chair
32:35
breaks the legs the chair has since been repaired
32:39
and is back on display this incident took place
32:43
in April in the museum releases security footage,
32:47
although I don't know that they have caught the
32:51
culprits. Although it looks the same once the
32:55
artwork is damaged, it isn't really the same.
32:59
Correct. We're going to share the reel on the
33:03
show notes. Let's move on to our weekend picks.
33:06
Jean Plow's figure slash ground is ongoing at
33:10
Muse Gallery. John Poblador's Chapel of Color
33:13
is ongoing at Bridget Meyer Gallery, and his
33:16
artist reception is this Friday, June 27th, from
33:19
5 to 7 .30. And he's going to be giving his artist
33:23
talk starting at 6. The Philadelphia Theatre
33:27
Company's production of Small Ball is ongoing
33:30
throughout June. Tickets to Ballet X's Summer
33:33
Series are on sale for July 16th through the
33:37
20th. Callie. Avellino, an upcoming guest and
33:42
someone whose artwork we have both come to own,
33:45
has an exhibition titled Ladies of Leisure ongoing
33:49
at Framework Studio and Gallery until July 18th.
33:54
Cecilia Paredes, By My Side or Back of Me is
33:58
ongoing at the Prince Center through the 19th.
34:01
Katie Hudnall. The longest distance between two
34:05
points is ongoing at the Museum for Art and Wood
34:08
through the 20th. Subscriptions for Philadelphia
34:10
Theatre Company, Ballet X, Philadelphia Ballet,
34:14
and Opera Philadelphia are all available for
34:17
the upcoming season. And as always, Philly has
34:21
heart. I don't know who the first one is. Mondrian.
34:40
Mondrian's the... Here. Oh, no, I got it. The
34:42
lines. The cross. If I say the R, I'll probably
34:45
be like, ew. Killed.