We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Randi Matushevitz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Randi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I was restless replaying the memory of the last person to be in my area at the Brewery Art Walk.   A woman preparing to leave with tears in her eyes. She didn’t want to tell me why, but finally she did.   She couldn’t afford the 4×6 inch drawing on the wall.  The next day Real Art for Real People was born. 

The Real Art for Real people project engages the viewer in a conversation about owning original art, affordability, and access. The discussion revolves around the viewers perception about art, is it important, do they think they can own original art, and will they go to a gallery? There are no prices on the wall, prompting a conversation and a feel-good exchange. Post discussion the viewer offers a price. The pop-up brings original art access to the community even if only temporary. This exchange allows assessment of the pulse of the community in relationship to the economic, political, and social climate and its overall (if any) relationship to art ownership as it exists in the public community.

I love this project because I get to speak to the people who are staring and engaging with my artwork.  I get to know something about each of them.  My artwork reflects upon the hard truths of being, my drawings explore the emotional landscape that makes us human and connects us to each other despite our economic class, the shade of our skin, or our gender.  The oeuvre of my images tells tales of trials and joys, each work is reaching out, seeking a sense of connection, hoping to inspire resilience, release and even healing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a visual artist accessing drawing, video, and installations and performance. My focus is on exploring primal human connection through emotional expressions and experiences. My desire is to realize physical experiences that tap into human primal instinct that reaches beyond our current dichotomies of language, culture, religion, and gender. 

I tell tales of struggle and survival in the noir atmospheres in an imaginary shadow space. The artwork, “Dust to Dust” is an excavation of self in search of discovery. I was on residency at Jentel in Banner, WY.  I began to imagine myself tied to the land becoming dust, adding fertility to the soil for the next generation. The journey allowed me to notice the cathartic nature of my experience while I create. In my work I exemplify struggle, release tension, the result is a sense of resilience and even healing.  I thought perhaps I could share this experience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In the early 2000’s I had multiple gallery representations and a rotation of opportunities that kept me very busy with a sense of arrival and success that I thought would last. By 2008, the galleries, located in NY and Buenos Aires, closed. The first museum to collect my work also closed and personal losses followed the death of my father, the loss of a child and a decline in my health. I felt completely disconnected, the bubble had popped, and I spent the next years healing and honing my craft. The result is the focus of my work to today a cathartic journey telling tales of struggle and survival.

My career did pick up again. My family and I relocated to Los Angeles, where I have been able to connect to wonderful artists and art professionals. Recently I am a recipient of the California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship – Emerging Artist, (AO) Los Angeles Performance Practice. I have attended Jentel Artist Residency in 2021 and am going to Smpro Nap Residency in Spain in 2024.

My message is to stay on the course, through the ups and downs, it will go up again. Find time to say, “It’s okay. It will be okay” and remember to breathe.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being a creative is the best job/non-job I’ve ever had. Age is not a limitation, it’s the opposite. I only get better with age. I can explore and experiment. I get to keep learning, skills, philosophy, psychology, and more. I am an observer and a participant in this life. I get to keep challenging myself to grow to perfect my multi-modality approach. I am more than an any one material I work with. I am the creator of a language that is tied to socio/biology of our beings. I point to connections and to embracing differences. Through Real Art for Real People I grow, learn, share, exchange ideas, gathering stories of individuals and families. It’s truly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.randimatushevitz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/randimatushevitzart
• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/randi.chaplinmatushevitz
• Linkedin: www.linkedIn.com/randi-matushevitz

Image Credits
Alison Michaela, Martin Cox,