Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Visionary Grind Arts. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Visionary Grind Arts, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Visionary Grind Arts began as a spark of an idea one night in 2019 while in my art studio talking with my business partner Lupita Peralez-Garcia. She and I had been having a series of conversations about what we wanted as members of the art community and also what we wanted for our individual art careers. We both wanted to help other artists and find a way to express ourselves without being pigeon holed. Because of these conversations, Lupita and I realized that there was a great need in the Black and Brown artist communities, more than just what one art show or event could address. We wanted to impact the lives of other artists, build a community, share knowledge, and inspire them to create and pursue their artistic dreams. This realization came with a rush of excitement, possibility, mild apprehension, and joy. We knew we were on the precipice of something great.

Visionary Grind Arts, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Visionary Grind Arts is an artist-run non-profit organization and a cornerstone of creativity where Black and Brown artists, and all lovers of art, can engage and connect. With roots sewn into the local community, VGA serves as a platform where artists of all experience levels can display their art, interact with the community, and network. Visionary Grind Arts organizes art exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, art classes, and provides art and design consultation services.

VGA has accomplished every goal we set for ourselves thus far; we created numerous opportunities for local artists to exhibit and sell their work and we hosted two successful annual art supply drives for Houston-area public schools. But we are most proud of the collective of artists we now call family. The unity, respect, and the easy exchange of ideas between us has inspired us to create and network in ways he hadn’t before. Our group and individual success affirms that our efforts as Visionary Grind Arts are invaluable.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Criticism for solely focusing on Black and Brown artists has been a constant struggle throughout our journey. From day one, Lupita and I knew that there would be backlash towards Visionary Grind Arts, and our mission, because of our exclusivity. We’ve been met with harsh comments and accusations of prejudice, but through it all, we stayed the course. Our goal is not to divide or exclude, but to shine a light directly and specifically onto artists who look like us, and to share our experiences in a way that invites all lovers of art to get to know us, as we see us.

Having just gotten our feet off the ground in the beginning of 2020, with business cards, a list of guest artists and sponsors, and flyers for our first event printed, we were completely dismayed when the city of Houston (and much of the rest of the world) was shut down. Life as we had planned it, suddenly came to a halt. All of our events and plans were placed on an indefinite pause; we would come back together when the time was right. Almost exactly a year from when we had our first meeting, Lupita and I were back in my studio planning to start again. Even with the new health and safety guidelines, we were going to achieve our goal and make VGA’s introduction to the local art community a success.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

One goal of Visionary Grind Arts collective is to continue making art and encouraging one another throughout our creative processes. This year has been challenging for each of us in various ways, but we still come together and create, share ideas, and get lost in that imaginative world for a few hours with other artists who get it. VGA’s driving mission is to positively impact the art careers of Black and Brown artists and to provide a platform where they can share their stories–the coming year holds lots of promise with the events to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visionarygrindarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionarygrindarts/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionarygrindarts/